Canada's students 'well equipped,' say education ministers

Canada's ministers of education came out of two days of meetings in Charlottetown Wednesday refuting claims there are problems with the country's education system.

Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson, co-chair of the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education, made direct reference to a report released just ahead of the meeting by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which showed Canadian students slipping in international test scores.

"It would be very irresponsible for any education minister to take one study and interpret that there are challenges with our system or we need to revise policy without looking beyond one international study," said Johnson.

"You're going to see other studies come out in coming months. They're going to show that Canada's students are well equipped with math skills and numeracy skills."

The Canadian Council of Chief Executives wants the federal government to take a larger role in education. Its report says only Ottawa can lead and create a national education and skills training strategy.

Some of the worst international test scores in the country come from P.E.I. students. Provincial Education Minister Alan McIsaac said extra professional development time for teachers starting next year will help improve the level of instruction.