Education Equality – Issue #3

Education equality is one of the reasons why I’m seeking the Liberal nomination for Annapolis.

It’s true that we are one of the most rural parts of Nova Scotia, but that doesn’t mean that our students should have any less access to quality education; and not just students in Kindergarten to Grade 12, but post-secondary students as well. We need to ensure that our children have access to everything they need for successful learning and that each and every one of them are afforded the opportunities they want. Not every student wants to go to pursue a university degree – with many preferring careers in the trades. Both paths are equally worthwhile, and in fact, Nova Scotia’s skilled trades sector is reportedly one of the highest job opportunity sectors in the province.

Whatever path is chosen, every student deserves our support to achieve their educational goals. A young woman in Middleton recently shared with me the economic challenges facing rural students wanting to train as health-care professionals; and when discussing the need for more physicians, a doctor in Annapolis Royal encouraged a greater emphasis on calculus in high school – along with skills and knowledge to help prepare students to take the Medical College Admissions Test.

Why not a post-secondary satellite campus in our region offering programs and courses from ALL of our province’s world-class educational institutions? It would not only improve access and expand opportunities for our rural students but increase the potential pool of students needed to address many of our most critical provincial needs – such as our current and future health-care needs. Distance enrollment in medical school and training for health-care professionals, rural student incentives and scholarships, health-care boot camps, and partnering with local hospitals and clinics to provide student internships, could be some of the ways to support rural students’ enrollment in medical school to the benefit of all of us.

Thinking creatively about solutions for the issues that matter to our community is critical to our success, and with your support for my nomination to be the Nova Scotia Liberal Party candidate for MLA, I can help us do just that! Join Team MacDonald to support me.