The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Education:

Speaker, the power of education cannot be overstated. Teachers play a vital role in making possibilities become realities for students.

I stand today to remind the public that nominations are now open for the third annual Premier’s Award for Teaching Innovation and the Minister of Education’s Award for Compassion in Teaching.

The Premier’s Award for Teaching Innovation recognizes primary, elementary or secondary teachers in all disciplines who have demonstrated innovation in instruction and a commitment to preparing their students for future success.

The Minister of Education’s Award for Compassion in Teaching recognizes inspirational and compassionate teachers at the primary, elementary or secondary level who have demonstrated a commitment to supporting the social, emotional and mental health of their students, colleagues or school community as a whole.

These awards recognize teaching excellence in areas that are meaningful and impactful for K-12 students in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In recognition of the important role teachers play, our government continues to make key investments, including increases in the last two years to the teaching services budget and continued funding to maintain the school-based reading specialists, teaching and learning assistants, teacher librarians, and English-as-a-second-language teachers added as a result of the Education Action Plan.

Speaker, I encourage students, parents, colleagues and administrators to nominate an educator today. Information on the awards is available on the government website, and the deadline for submissions is May 26, 2023.s