It was long overdue, but that doesn't diminish the fact that a new bill set to replace the current B.C. College of
Teachers is a good thing, and Education Minister George Abbott deserves kudos for pulling it together.
The new B.C. Teachers' Council will have the ability to investigate more complaints on broader issues, and it is not stacked with teachers or those in the teachers' union sphere of influence.
As well, the council and disciplinary board would be required to conduct all its business in public - including discipline hearings. The only exceptions would be when it is necessary to protect complainants or witnesses.
Perhaps, needless to say, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation has said that changes are unnecessary - which only proves that changes were very necessary.
Where children, health, policing and public safety are concerned, it is vital that strong, independent regulatory bodies exist to deal with complaints - and that those proceedings be as transparent as possible.
And kudos to the NDP for supporting the new bill. This is one area where they could have earned brownie points with the teachers' union by raising a stink - but wisely chose to see this as a muchneeded quality control device in schools.
We believe the vast majority of teachers will support this bill. No teacher wants to see a colleague who has abused his or her position move from school to school without a true accounting. It gives a bad name to all of those teachers who work their hardest to keep the reputation of the profession untarnished.
