Dear Editor:
Re: Burnaby school board accepts Chevron help rejected by Vancouver, Burnaby NOW, Oct. 8.
The Burnaby First Coalition has no party position at this time, but I offer my personal views are as follows:
I think a distinction needs to be made between My Class Needs, a genuine Canadian charity, and Chevron's Fuel Your School program. I see no reason to not partner with My Class Needs, the Canadian charity, which assists students with resources that enrich their learning experiences.
But because of Chevron's reputation as a major polluter and other educational risks of corporate sponsorship, I will be inclined to be cautious of the purity of its motives in offering educational funding, which may or may not be without an ultimate cost.
Chevron's school partnership offer may indeed be a genuine attempt to "clean up its act," but I will want to look at the partnership agreement or arrangements very closely before making a more informed decision about the Fuel Your School program.
Unfortunately Chevron does not come to us highly recommended with a reputable name and impeccable record. Quite to the contrary, it has acquired a tarnished image worldwide reportedly due to its involvement with environmental destruction and other ethically questionable investments in countries and communities in which it operates.
One cannot help but wonder if these offers to schools are a planned and systematic attempt to regain some credibility and improve its tainted image. And nothing is wrong with that per se.
But even if its reputation is transformed, I will still be hesitant to give any corporate sponsors entry into the school system, unless I am convinced it will in no way detract from our goal of providing the best education to our youngsters. Education and marketing do not mix.
I am an advocate for our children's education, not for corporate sponsors. We must aggressively pressure our government to supply what's necessary to educate all our students. The Fuel Your School program sounds good, but what they are not telling us is that we have to buy their gas before they fuel our schools. So it is a marketing scheme, disguised as a benevolent gesture. If Chevron wants to contribute to our education system, let them do so without any strings attached.
Also, when you get dependent on someone, they tend to own you. We are teaching students how to think critically, and corporate sponsorship will likely hinder the analytical process by creating bias.
It is easy and tempting to embrace this opportunity to help relieve the financial need for learning resources in the classroom, but the overall and ultimate impact on our goals and philosophy of education has to be seriously considered. I am in favor of an open and liberal education free from any negative influences imposed by corporate sponsorship.
Ben Seebaran is a school trustee candidate with the Burnaby First Coalition.
