Dear Editor,
When we moved our family in Alberta, I was proud to be Canadian and be in a province so proactive and smart about its education system by organizing forums like “Inspiring Education” and “Setting the Direction” in which I became involved. During these meetings the message was clear: investing in our children can only lead to a better future for them and our society.
Now, for those who still view investment in the school system as a waste of money because they cannot see the returns in dollars on a balance sheet at the end of the fiscal year, I would recommend that they read “Salt” by Mark Kurlansky which was on one of Bush’s summer reading lists when he was in office. Besides being interesting, the history of salt teaches us a valuable lesson: new technology – refrigeration in this case, led to the decline of the salt-based economy. Today, the oil-based economy is a boom on its way of going bust. Why? Because it is not a renewable source of energy and, ultimately, we simply can no longer be blind to its environmental impact.
Mr. Stelmach said not too long ago that the oil belongs to the Albertans. Well, what a better time to prove the veracity of his statement by investing the oil revenues back into the education system.
If we do, we will groom a generation of young adults who will be functional in this new era of new technologies and perhaps leaders in some spheres. If we don’t, it is downhill from now on and only those who possess the skills will take advantage of the new opportunities.
Not investing in our education system is short sighted. Cutting the funding is suicidal.
Claire Comtois
Okotoks
