The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education:

 I rise in this honourable house to highlight our continued commitment to the students, educators and staff in the K-12 system.

In Budget 2025, we have made significant investments to increase the teaching services budget and enhance education overall. This year we are investing $20 million, which will grow to $44 million next year, to hire an additional 400 educators and learning assistants in the K-12 system.

These additional resources will help address concerns in classrooms and the school environment. We have also made investments to help update school technologies to support a modern teaching and learning environment.

Teachers are, without a doubt, the backbone of our education system. This makes today a great opportunity to announce that nominations are now open for this year’s Premier and Minister’s Teaching Awards.

The Premier’s Award for Teaching Innovation and the Minister of Education’s Award for Compassion in Teaching recognize teaching excellence in areas that are meaningful and impactful for K-12 students. The deadline to submit nominations is May 9. I encourage everyone to consider nominating a teacher for these prestigious awards. Visit the department’s website to nominate a teacher today.

Educators continuously demonstrate new ways to teach while fostering the well-being of students, and we are proud to recognize those admirable teaching efforts.

Thank you.