There has been a lot of talk about oil and gas companies' involvement in the Alberta curriculum redesign, with more than 26,000 people voicing their opposition in a petition earlier this month calling for the removal of the companies from the process.
In last week's Nouvelle (Oil companies involved in curriculum construction), local principal Ron Young spoke in favour of the companies' involvement, saying that critics should listen to what the companies have to offer to the redesign process, rather than simply dismissing them and assuming their message is in some way sinister. And while Young believes oil and gas companies can bring something positive to the curriculum, Northern Lights School Division board chair Arlene Hrynyk said “everyone in Alberta has a stake in education” but that the primary voices creating the new curriculum are educators.
“It is unfortunate that it is being presented in a fashion that oil and gas is a big player in the rewrite of the curriculum, which is not true,” she said.
Only time will tell how much influence oil and gas companies will have on the new curriculum, which is set for a 2016 release.
Though the Nouvelle is not opposed to involving various voices in the redesign process, a concern should be raised any time any business interests, including oil and gas, are given undue influence on a public education system, as obvious conflicts of interest arise.
Alberta Education's stated aim for its curriculum is “to ensure Alberta's young people will have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be prepared for jobs that do not exist yet and in industries that are emerging or evolving.”
While oil and gas are the resources of the day, taking the long view, as any government should, other sectors to involve in the curriculum redesign would be alternative energies and renewable resources, to help prepare the coming generations for the inevitable reduction of our reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels.
