Student leaders in Burnaby support a province-wide student walkout planned via Facebook for Wednesday, but academic considerations will keep many from picketing.
“I did walk out two years ago,” district student advisory council president Thalia Lang told the NOW. “However, being in Grade 12 and having to balance academic completion especially toward the end of the year when it’s end of term, I probably won’t be able to walk out because I need to finish course work, but I’ll be pursuing alternative ways in order to express my opinion to Christy Clark, Peter Fassbender and the BCTF about what may be best for student interests.”
The walkout was launched on Facebook by Surrey Grade 12 student Victoria Barker, who likens the labour dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the province to divorcing parents.
“Each side claims to be ‘fighting for the students,’ yet each side fails to show how they are doing so,” states the walkout’s Facebook page.
The protest, which will support neither the BCTF nor the government, is aimed at getting both sides of the labour dispute together for a speedy resolution.
As of Tuesday afternoon nearly 13,000 people had indicated on Facebook that they intended to participate.
Moscrop Grade 11 student and student advisory council member Aishwi Roshan told the NOW she’s heard a lot of buzz around the event, with many students messaging each other about it on Facebook.
Like Lang, she won’t be walking out because she has an exam on Wednesday, but she hopes lots of students turn up.
“We are the voters of tomorrow, so if we want to have an active say, we have to show the government that we can actually stand up for what we believe in,” Roshan said.
Lang said she sympathizes with teachers over what she called the underfunding of public education but added strikes have taken a toll on students.
“Striking does get the point across and it does bring awareness to the issues,” she said. “However, it temporarily suspends the amount of effort given to paying attention to students that is needed. It is not necessarily the government that is suffering from their strikes, but it’s the students who truly are.”
Owen Yin, another student advisory council member at Burnaby North, said he also won’t be walking out.
He said he’s only heard from a couple council members who plan to participate.
“That being said though, I feel that most students agree with the walkout's goal of getting both sides to reach an agreement faster,” he said.
Those who do walk out Wednesday will face few repercussions from administration, according to school trustee Ron Burton.
“Other than being marked absent, that’s it,” he told the NOW. “We understand their frustration and their need to protest and speak up.”
In a letter addressed to parents Tuesday, however, superintendent Kevin Kaardal said the walkout was not a school-sanctioned activity and was “disruptive to the entire school community and learning.”
“We would like to make you aware, that participation in this 'walk-out' could result in the congregation of large crowds of unsupervised students in the community,” he told parents.
Though Kaardal said the district respects students’ desire to be heard, he urged them to express their concerns and opinions in a way that wouldn’t impact class time and learning.
The protest is planned for 9 a.m. Wednesday and is scheduled to last through the school day.
For more information, visit the event’s BC Student Walkout for Students Facebook page.
