Catholic Problems in Western CanadaDaly, George Thomas
Religion
Catholic Problems in Western Canada
Daly, George Thomas
Catholic Church -- Canada
1. _History_.--The history of the "Better School Movement" in
Saskatchewan is not very old, but, like the vegetation on the western
prairies had a rapid and healthy growth. It crowded into a few years a
whole epoch of the educational life of the Province. On June 22, 1915,
the Hon. W. Scott, then Premier and Minister of Education, made his
epochal speech which launched the idea of a reform movement. The
object of this movement was the re-adjustment of the school system, of
its curriculum and administration, to conditions existing throughout
the Province. The people of Saskatchewan were invited to constitute
themselves a grand committee of the whole on education, to study facts
and to suggest means. This invitation of the keen-sighted Premier was
accepted by the people without any distinction of race, creed or
language. The leader of the Opposition indorsed the idea and pledged
the support of his party. This non-partisan movement crystallized
itself in the "Saskatchewan Public Education League" which was formed
at the general meeting of delegates from all over the Province, held in
Regina, in Sept., 1916. The league became a forum for the expression
of public opinion. The newspapers of the Province gave wide publicity
to the new movement and threw open their columns to a public
discussion. Teachers' associations, inspectors' conventions, church
synods, grain growers' meetings, labour unions, medical councils,
trustees' conventions particularly, made school improvements a fruitful
topic at all their meetings of the year. Educational problems and
reforms were in the air: never have we better understood the
educational value of a publicity campaign; never have we seen it
crowned with such a success. The climax of this campaign was a public
holiday, June 30th, 1916; meetings were held in all the school
districts of the Province, speeches were made, resolutions passed.
Public opinion had been moulded and was ready for a "Survey" and
Legislation.
By order in Council, June 7th, 1917, Premier Martin, successor to Hon.
W. Scott, whom ill-health had forced to retire--made definite provision
for an educational Survey. "This survey is in no sense of the word an
investigation; for investigations are necessarily based on assumption
of some sort of misfeasance or malfeasance. It is instead a
sympathetic inquiry into the schools of the people as the schools
actually exist. Suggestions for enlargement and re-direction are made
throughout."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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