After fighting gay-straight alliances in schools for a year, Alberta's Progressive Conservative government has changed its mind.

Education Minister Gordon Dirks has told the house that the government will bring in an amendment to a bill that would allow the support groups in every school if students wanted them.

The alliances are peer-support groups for gay students that are meant to make them feel welcome and prevent them from being bullied.

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Faith-based schools have fought gay-straight alliances and the issue divided the house in the last two sessions.

The Tories and the Wildrose voted down a non-binding resolution on the groups last spring, and last fall introduced a law that would have allowed gay-straight alliances off school grounds.

Premier Jim Prentice pulled the bill as criticism mounted.