05 Mar Those orange lunch bags — conclusion

In the interests of tying up loose ends, here are a couple of final notes about the insulated orange lunch bags the Department of Education handed out to grade primary students in four school boards this winter. I voiced suspicion that the selection of the color orange was a transparent political ploy, and even suggested the NDP should reimburse the taxpayers for their cost.

It’s clear I was wrong. The detailed explanation provided by Ann Blackwood, Executive Director of English Program Services for the Nova Scotia Department of Education, has the unmistakable ring of truth. Education bureaucrats chose the color for reasons that had nothing to do with politics.

As to the color itself, I have now seen one of the bags, and I’m hard put to call it anything but orange. The back, sides, trim, and top third of the front panel are orange beyond reasonable argument. The glossy panel that occupies the bottom two thirds of the bag’s front is, in my perception, orange trending toward reddish. Reasonable people could disagree. The overall impression is: a bright orange bag.

The value of the program? This year the province distributed 3,500 bags to Grade Primary students in four school boards: Annapolis Valley, Cape Breton-Victoria, South Shore, and Strait-Richmonsd, at a cost of $126,000, or $35.44 per bag. Each bag contains construction paper, scissors, a magnifying glass, colored animal counters, magnetic numbers and letters, plasticine clay, a sound shaker, a pencil, a kick sack, My Toys (a children’s book ), Jack and the Missing Piece (a picture book), I Went Walking (a children’s book), and Paws and Claws (a musical CD by Halifax children’s musician Maria Alley).

Next fall, all 8,500 grade primary students in all eight boards will receive the bags at an estimated of $306,000. The project has been carried out entirely within the department, without the aid of an advertising agency.

“This investment supports our effort to help children earlier with their reading, and strengthen connections between parents and schools, key priorities within the Kids and Learning First plan,” wrote Education Minister Ramona Jennex in an email to Contrarian. “It is so important we engage our children early with rich language experiences and it is my hope the contents of these bags will offer the opportunity for parents to engage in fun and meaningful experiences.”

“We know that children need oral language and good vocabulary experiences to build the foundation for reading and writing,” Jennex wrote. “Many teachers are expressing concerns about our youngest children coming to Primary with limited ability to engage in conversation due to limited language experiences.”

Does this add up to good value for the education dollars it required? I don’t feel qualified to offer an opinion, although I’m sure some parents will be skeptical, especially in light of the NDP Government’s cancellation of the Reading Recovery program.