The education minister says government will be moving ahead with the first phase of changes to the junior high school curriculum this coming September.

Krista Lynn Howell says they have 14 schools that will be piloting the changes in the fall.

While the details have yet to be hammered out through the public engagement process, government is proposing to make some courses, such as social studies and music, either modular or optional.

The end goal is to improve student engagement and decrease absenteeism.

There have been many who have raised concerns about the proposed changes, arguing that the modular approach downplays the importance of some subjects and that they should instead be focused on things like class size and resourcing.

When asked if there is anything that would stop the implementation of the changes, Howell states that “we don’t have time to wait.”

She says they don’t want “another generation of students who can’t reach their maximum potential” and who feel like they don’t have a choice to remain engaged.