Commentary
School board elections are heating up in Vancouver. The heat is caused, in part, by a group of trustee candidates pledging to bring back honours courses, which the current board abolished last year.
Many parents were upset when the honours courses were cut, particularly since they were the only way for gifted students to receive specialized programming. Most low-income families cannot afford private school tuition, and consequently, they are dependent on public schools to provide their children with appropriate academic options.
The rationale for cutting honours courses was that this was an important step in promoting inclusivity and equity. In addition, the board argued that honours courses were not consistent with the new British Columbia curriculum which focuses on general skills and not on specialized knowledge or content. Trustees felt that honours courses were simply an advanced form of streaming and that this went against their equity objectives….