Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 May, 2023 12:09 PM
The B-C Teachers Federation has completed its first-ever survey of members and says the results show teachers' stress and workloads are climbing.
A statement from the teachers federation says nearly 82 per cent of respondents noted problems related to teacher shortages and 62 per cent reported an inability to get needed help for students.
More than 80% of BC public school teachers say they're feeling direct impacts from the teacher shortage and meeting students' needs is their top concern. Today we're releasing our first annual membership survey with these and other findings: https://t.co/uEDh2eiCtu#bcpoli#bced
Roughly 40 per cent of teachers say they have less preparation time this year than they did in 2022 and approximately the same number say their physical or mental health is worse than it was last year.
BCTF President Clint Johnston says the survey underlines a critical need for school districts and the provincial government to find better ways to recruit and retain teachers before they burn out.
While the announcement signalled that federal workers would get a day off on Sept. 19, the day of the Queen's state funeral and of commemorative events across the country, provinces had to work out the details for other workplaces, including schools, with less than a week's notice.
The study, which lists Dr. Bonnie Henry among 13 authors, says that in contrast, 60 to 70 per cent of adults aged 20 to 59 and about 40 per cent of those aged 60 and over have been infected. The preprint study, which has not been peer-reviewed, was published online on Sept. 9 and says a series of surveillance reports of infections were understating the actual levels of infection by 92 times.
The poll from Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies also found that while some Canadians are happy about King Charles III taking the throne and others are not, most are largely indifferent to Canada’s new head of state.
Until now, the government has said it is helping through existing policies, such as child care agreements with the provinces and automatic annual increases to programs like the GST rebate and Canada Child Benefit, as well as 2021 budget promises to increase benefits for seniors and low-income workers.
Emergency food, water, sanitation and health services are badly needed after monsoon rains over the last three months have left more than one-third of the country underwater. More than 33 million people are affected by the floods and with much of the country's agricultural land underwater, the Pakistani government is warning of an impending food shortage.
The network says in its fall forecast that much of Canada can expect warmer-than-normal conditions throughout September before temperatures start to drop in October. It says the amount of precipitation will vary across the country, though most parts will see fewer storms than usual.
