Purpose of the Ministry
The Ministry provides leadership and funding, develops policy and legislation, oversees system governance, sets results-based standards, develops accountability frameworks, monitors performance and reports results for the K-12 education system. In 2005, literacy, early learning and public libraries were added to the Ministry mandate. The Government of British Columbia has set a goal to make B.C. the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent, and the Ministry leads this initiative.
The Ministry of Education provides services to children and families accessing early learning services, students in the K-12 education system, and adults completing their secondary schooling, upgrading their skills and using public library services. The roles and responsibilities of the Ministry and its partners are set out under the School Act, the Teaching Profession Act, the Independent School Act, the Library Act and accompanying regulations.
In partnership with boards of education, the Ministry of Education provides early learning services to children (before they enter school) and their families through initiatives such as StrongStart BC centres. The K-12 education system serves approximately 590,0001 public school students, approximately 68,000 independent school students and more than 2,800 home-schooled children. Of the public school students there are about 58,000 students who are Aboriginal, and about 4,000 students (who have a Charter right to a Francophone education) who are enrolled in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique.2 The Ministry of Education provides funding for adults for basic literacy and numeracy instruction to complete secondary school graduation requirements and for instruction for adults who are secondary school graduates and who wish to upgrade their skills.
The Ministry of Education is committed to ActNow BC and comprehensive school health. This approach recognizes that healthy children are better able to learn and that schools can directly influence children’s health.
In support of the Government of British Columbia’s goal to lead the world in sustainable environmental management, the Ministry of Education is working with the BC Climate Action Secretariat and collaborating with other government agencies, boards of education and independent school authorities and the private sector to establish and co-ordinate specific initiatives, strategies and programs to enhance environmental sustainability.
The Ministry achieves its goals through collaborative relationships with its partners.3 These partners include boards of education and independent school authorities, public libraries, community literacy organizations, First Nations representatives, and provincial ministries and agencies.
| 1 | This figure represents a student head count for the 2006/07 school year. |
| 2 | Each year the Ministry collects information about the B.C. education system and produces student enrolment, teacher and school facility statistics at the school, district and provincial level. For more detailed information, please visit: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reporting/enrol/student.php. |
| 3 | www.bced.gov.bc.ca/annualreport/2007/educ_part.pdf. |
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