There is a new focus for education equity in the province of Saskatchewan and it is being addressed by all of the key partners in the education community.

On November 5, Education Minister Pat Atkinson and the Equity in Education Forum released a document that articulates a common vision to promote equity in Saskatchewan's schools (K-12).

Now all the major players in the education community are formally sharing responsibility for equity. As well, the focus of the equity initiatives has expanded to cover all children.

When releasing the document Atkinson said: "Equality means many things to many people. For us it means equality of opportunity, access and outcome. Equity is characterized by fair and respectful treatment of all people, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, and lifestyle."

The document Our Children, Our Communities and Our Future sets out the policies, visions, reasons and action plans for ensuring fair and respectful treatment in the school system. It was developed by the Equity in Education Forum, which is made up of representatives from the Department of Education, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, and the League of Education Administrators, Directors and Superintendents. The Forum recently expanded to include representatives from the Gabriel Dumont Institute, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. The Saskatchewan Indian Federated College has also been invited to send a representative.

Craig Dotson, deputy minister of education, said at the document launch that equity in education is "the single most important issue facing education in the province." He said that in the future, every child in the school system will be included, not excluded. "That's what we must demand from our public education system."

Donna Scott, Chief Commissioner/Director of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, said: "The Commission, from its very beginning, has looked to the education system as the key to changing prejudicial attitudes."

She said the Education Equity Forum has provided the framework for achieving equity in Saskatchewan schools. "The challenge for all of us is to do whatever we can to breathe life into the framework."

How education equity got its start
Education equity got underway in Saskatchewan in 1984, when the Commission focused on the delivery of education to Aboriginal people. Studies showed that over 90 percent of Aboriginal students dropped out of school before completing grade 12. In the Commission's view, a failure to respond to this crisis would severely limit employment opportunities and economic incomes for most of the province's Aboriginal people.

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