The province is spending $15 million to provide more services and hire 173 more specialists this fall.
Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Zach Churchill says the province is hiring more guidance councillors, African Nova Scotia and Mi’kmaw student support workers, pre-primary inclusion coaches, school psychologists and speech language pathologists.
He also says the department has formed a partnership with Autism Nova Scotia.
“They are going to work with us and help train our education assistants on working with students with autism.”
Churchill says the Liberal government has demonstrated by its actions their commitment to education since being elected in 2013.
“We have created 1,000 new teaching positions, we have the smallest classes that we have ever had, we have a whole host of inclusion supports to help our kids do better from an achievement perspective and from a well-being perspective.”
The breakdown for new positions in South Shore Regional Centre for Education is:
7 Education Assistants
3 Child Youth Care Practitioners
1 African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq Student Support Worker
1 Pre-primary Inclusion Coach
2 Guidance Counsellors
1 Autism Teacher Specialist
1 Resource Teacher
1 Child Youth Care Practitioners for Youth in Care
1 Community Outreach Worker
1 School Psychologist
The 173 new student support positions being added this September combined with 191 workers added last year brings the total to 364 new hires to support students.
This is the second year in a five-year effort to increase supports to students in Nova Scotia.
Reported by Gary Nickerson
E-mail: nickerson.gary@radioabl.ca
With files from Ed Halverson
Twitter: @edwardhalverson
E-mail: halverson.ed@radioabl.ca
