Teachers in Saskatchewan are frustrated at the impasse in their contract talks, so with the blessing of a 90-per-cent vote of support, they are taking things to the next level.
Unfortunately, this means that students are the ones who will suffer, which suggests that the sanctions put in place by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is missing the mark somewhat.
The sanctions announced on Monday by the STF will mean that teachers will restrict their services to the school day only, with nothing beyond 15 minutes after school is done.
The only ones who are going to suffer any consequences are students, as this means all practices, games, tournaments, drama and music-related activities, and school clubs, are cancelled.
If the point of sanctions is to put pressure on the government to move on contract talks, how exactly is hurting students going to achieve that?
Sports and cultural activities, not to mention clubs where students can explore their interests in various ways with fellow students, are all important and beneficial for a well-rounded education.
The immediate loss in Weyburn is cancellation of the SHSAA 5A boys regional basketball playoffs, which would have determined which teams could advance to Hoopla, the provincial basketball championships for high school teams.
As the SHSAA said in a statement on Tuesday, about 1,700 students and 300 coaches will be impacted by the province-wide cancellation of the basketball playoffs.
The playoffs “are a celebration of school sport in our province and provide a showcase for student-athletes as they finish their season of play. The playoffs are one of many programs that SHSAA utilizes to achieve the goals of school sport. The critical life skills that student athletes attain are accumulated through months of participation in a school sport program,” stated Lyle McKellar, executive director of the SHSAA.
In other words, it isn’t just basketball playoffs that are lost, but “critical life skills” are also being impacted. This in addition to the life lessons also learned through music programs, school drama groups, and clubs that explore special interests, like the STEM group at the Weyburn Comp, or any of several clubs set up for elementary, junior and senior students to enjoy.
The STF members do have a legitimate concern as the government seems unwilling to move on their position, but punishing students is not going to get movement on the contract talks. It will alienate students and families from their teachers, when in fact the teachers need their students’ support if labour actions need to be ramped up in the coming months.
