Related Initiatives and Planning Processes
Regulatory Reform
Deregulation and Regulatory Reform
As of June 2004, the Ministry of Education met and exceeded its three-year deregulation target. Following the May 2005 election, the June 2004 baseline count was adjusted to 21,095 to incorporate the regulations related to the added responsibilities for early learning, literacy and libraries. The Ministry is committed to maintaining the baseline count of 21,095 through to 2008/09.
Regulatory requirements contained in legislation, regulation, policy and procedures will continue to be monitored and reported, consistent with the Regulatory Reform Policy. Increases in regulatory requirements, where required, will be offset by reductions, maintaining a zero per cent increase year to year.
Further regulatory reduction and reform opportunities will be identified as the Ministry continues to provide the education system with flexibility and students with choice. Where appropriate, this ongoing review will include the use of smart regulation35 rather than prescriptive regulation, while ensuring that the focus of the education system is on improving student achievement.
The Ministry focuses on results-based regulations through the ongoing review and revision of curriculum contained in Integrated Resource Guides. The primary objective of this review is to ensure that teachers and students have current curriculum while maintaining and improving the high level of provincial student achievement. To date, this curriculum review has resulted in significant reductions to the Ministry’s regulatory count, and further reductions are anticipated.
| 35 | A ‘smart regulation’ focuses more on the intent and outcomes of regulations, and less on the process and procedures to meet those outcomes. |
Information Resources Management Plan
The overview of the Ministry’s Information Resource Management Plan is available on the Ministry website at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/annualreport/2006/irmp.pdf.
Citizen-Centred Service Delivery
Citizen-centred service — ensuring that clients have convenient access to high quality, seamless services — is a priority for Government. The Government is working to make sure that citizens, businesses and public sector organizations can access the services they need with ease. Identifying, balancing and meeting the diverse needs of the population is a key role of Government. The Ministry collaborates and consults with other ministries and organizations on issues and initiatives that are too broad or complex to fall under the responsibility of just one ministry. A citizen-centred approach will help to ensure that services are designed and delivered to meet the evolving needs of users, in a cost-effective and responsive manner. This work is key to maintaining and improving both the quality of life for citizens and the economic competitiveness of the Province.
The Ministry of Education supports and is firmly committed to the shift to citizen-centred service delivery. Through initiatives like School Community Connections, the Ministry will focus on integrating services and activities into the community and school settings. Although the Ministry does not directly provide programs and services, as these are delivered by school boards, it is still concerned whether clients (parents and students) are satisfied with the services (education) they receive. The Ministry conducts a Satisfaction Survey each year, to measure the satisfaction of students, parents, and teachers/staff, with key aspects of the education system.
