EDMONTON — Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has heard concerns about a few instances in which political and ideological beliefs have leaked into Alberta schools, and he believes it is time to seal the classrooms. On March 31, Nicolaides and the UCP government introduced Bill 25, An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, and the bill's purpose is evident in the title."We don't want our school divisions weighing into potentially divisive social and political issues or causes," said Nicolaides in an interview with the Western Standard. "We want our school boards focused entirely on student academic success, and by strengthening neutrality and removing politics and ideology from the classroom, we can make sure that we're absolutely focused on delivering academic success for students.".Nicolaides said he has heard from Albertans who claim there are some, the keyword is ‘some’, educators and schools who have, to a varying degree, pushed their personal beliefs on students. "Your entire society is built on 'F*** Trudeau' sticker, 'Oil pipelines, now.' 'You bad, I good.' 'Angry,'" said a Fort Saskatchewan high school teacher in a profanity-laced, anti-conservative lecture that was leaked in January. "Okay, but you can't control your entire society with anger."Bill 25 seeks to mitigate situations like the one mentioned above by introducing measures to "ensure that different perspectives and ideas are allowed to foster and grow and develop," which Nicolaides believes is a prerequisite for critical thinking. Amendments to the Education Act will require all school courses, programs, and educational materials to "encourage a wide range of perspectives and ideas, foster critical thinking, and foster the acquisition of knowledge and skills." These amendments are in addition to other requirements, including respect for others and the diversity of Alberta's society and history. .Some critics, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, have called Bill 25 a form of "censorship" and an effort by the UCP to restrict what teachers can teach."I think that views actually complete nonsense," Nicolaides said. "Nothing in the bill does anything of the sort. In fact, it does the opposite. It makes sure that a wide range of perspectives and ideas are brought forward. It makes sure that we promote understanding and respect for others."Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi took the "wide range of perspectives" portion and wants to know how a teacher is supposed to teach "both sides" of topics such as the Rwandan Genocide or slavery. "What is the 'good side' of Stalin?" said Nenshi in an interview for the Ryan Jespersen show. To this, Nicolaides told the Western Standard that Alberta has a standard curriculum on topics that teachers will be expected to teach, which they are already doing. He said Bill 25 will not affect their day-to-day operations, nor will it subtract from their professional judgement. "Teachers are free to discuss anything, essentially, that they want to in the classroom," Nicolaides said. "What we're saying here is that in doing so, they must do so in a manner that will foster critical thinking, the acquisition of knowledge and skills, and permit a wide range of ideas and perspectives to come forward on the topic."For Nicolaides, everything goes back to the bill's title. "We don't want our school divisions weighing into potentially divisive social and political issues or causes," Nicolaides said.
