The school of life doesn’t stop after Grade 12. So while Moose Jaw ranked a bit below the national average on the recent Canadian Council on Learning Composite Learning Index (CLI) score in its 2010 report. There were areas in that report for which the Friendly City scored quite high - above average even.
For example, Moose Jaw residents are well above the national average when it comes to on-the-job training. As well, an above-average number of Moose Javians learn while volunteering, as well as while participating with local clubs.
It seems that although CLI might suggest there are aspects of education that the local area must continue to work on and improve upon (such as some aspects of school-based education where Moose Jaw ranked below the national average), there is still a tendency towards lifelong learning locally.
This is important, as education is not something that stops upon receiving a diploma, degree or certificate from some institution of learning. Education is something that continues throughout an individual’s entire life.
And education is everywhere. An interesting documentary on TV, scanning Wikipedia during a trivia-collecting expedition, spending a lazy Sunday afternoon absorbing some quality CBC Radio programming — all these (and more) activities stimulate the intellect and all of can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, long after high school or college graduation.
The fact that Moose Jaw does well with community-based education is certainly something for which to feel pride. It shows the interconnected nature of the people in this city, who learn together when working for the common cause of bettering Moose Jaw.
Sure, we need to get our overall CLI score up for next year, but our score is better than last year’s and we do seem to excel in some very important areas of learning — learning for the young and old alike.
Education is a lifelong pursuit and one cannot attain his or her metaphorical diploma until the very end.
