MLAs push back on education ‘progress’ as absenteeism stays high

The New Brunswick Legislative Assembly building in Fredericton. MLAs questioned education officials during a public accounts committee hearing on Feb. 11. (Credit: Sundus Hyder)

Opposition MLAs are questioning the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s claims of progress in student literacy, arguing that chronic absenteeism and unclear data continue to raise concerns about how students are actually performing in schools.

At a public accounts committee hearing on Feb. 11 in Fredericton, officials pointed to a 4.9 per cent increase in Grade 4 literacy scores in the Anglophone sector as evidence that provincial education strategies are working.

But several legislators said the improvement does not fully address broader issues, particularly the continued rise in students missing significant amounts of school.

Progressive Conservative MLA Ian Lee said he was not convinced that one of the department’s key initiatives is supported by sufficient evidence.

The professional development (PD) pilot program allows some schools to schedule additional teacher training days during the academic year. Education officials say the extra time allows teachers to focus on literacy instruction and collaborate on strategies to support struggling students.

“I’m not so convinced that the data is there to warrant extra 10 days PD in the classroom,” Lee said after the hearing. “I’m not sure how that translates into benefits for students.”

Lee questioned whether the initiative is being connected too loosely to the province’s absenteeism challenges.

“It’s been alluded to that the PD projects are being used also as a way to deal with chronic absenteeism,” he said. “Those two there; that’s a concerning thing for me.”

Green Party MLA Megan Mitton speaks following a public accounts committee hearing at the legislature scrums. (Credit: Suzanne Shah)

Mitton said the province has not clearly explained the underlying causes of absenteeism or how it plans to address them.

“My sense is that it’s multiple things that are going on,” Mitton said.

She said clearer communication and more detailed information from the department would help legislators understand where solutions should be focused.

Mitton also pointed to school food programs as one factor that could influence student attendance.

“One thing I will mention is that having a universal lunch program would be really important,” she said.

Mitton added that while many schools already had breakfast programs before recent expansions, the quality and accessibility of food programs remain important considerations as governments scale them up.

Liberal MLA Natacha Vautour said evaluating the province’s approach is difficult without more detailed data on absenteeism trends.

“I would say that it’s a bit challenging to get a very clear picture without some very sort of solid numbers,” Vautour said.

“I feel like the data that they’re collecting may not even be giving them a clear picture of what’s going on.”

Officials from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said the province will continue evaluating both the professional development pilot and attendance initiatives as part of its broader strategy to improve student outcomes.

For opposition MLAs, the committee discussion highlighted ongoing concerns about whether improvements in testing scores reflect deeper progress in classrooms or whether persistent absenteeism continues to undermine student learning.