Minister Singh Back to School Message
Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, issued the following statement as students return to school. Minister Singh would also like to wish everyone in the K-12 system a great start to the 2024/25 school year.
“Our government is committed to ensuring all of B.C.’s K-12 students feel safe, supported and reach their full potential. We are dedicated to building a quality, inclusive education system where every student throughout the province can have the best education experience possible.
“We’ve taken steps to make life more affordable for families and help every child have what they need to participate and succeed in school this year. With the government’s largest investment in school food programs in the province’s history, more students have access to healthy food and snacks at school through Feeding Futures. In the most recent school year, almost 90% of B.C. schools reported having school food programs. To help schools provide support directly to students and families who need it most, we’ve added $20 million to the Student and Family Affordability Fund, which helps cover the costs of school supplies and class trips, as well as sports and music programs.
“Since 2017, our government has more than doubled funding to school districts for inclusive supports and services to help kids who need additional support meet their full potential in school. We launched two Provincial School Outreach Teams to provide specialist supports to students with disabilities and diverse abilities in communities throughout the province, where access to these services can be limited.
“K-12 literacy screening and learning supports will help all students, especially those with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, get the support they need to achieve their best in their education and beyond.
“Every student in B.C. should have access to safe and modern schools. To meet the needs of B.C.’s growing communities, our government has provided more than $5 billion over the past seven years to build, upgrade and expand schools that families need.
Minister’s back-to-school letter to educators, school staff, district leaders and trustees (English and French)
Minister’s back-to-school letter to students, parents and caregivers (English and French)