The status of education in Ontario

As you may know, education in Canada is a provincial responsibility. Therefore, each province in Canada enacts its own legislation concerning the education of their students. The Education Act and subsequent acts that govern education in Ontario will be the focus of this article. As emphasized in the act, provincial, federal and international human rights codes and charters also have stipulations on children's learning experiences. In 2009, the Ministry of Education implemented the Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy across the province that included making human rights education part of the primary and secondary curriculum. To assist educators, the Ministry worked with Ontario's Human Rights Commission to develop a guide with lessons, activities and case studies specifically designed to increase students' knowledge of human rights, and prompt discussion on such topics as discrimination, harassment and equality. As we duly observe, a lot of emphasis is put on social studies, especially in the formative years of the children. The intention may be a good one, however it must not to be exaggerated to the point of neglecting the science and technological side of education in the very formative years of children and youth. For a developed nation like Canada, whose economic heart has traditionally beat in Ontario, it is particularly important not to be left behind in creativity and ingenuity in today’s competitive world. Education plays a very important role in maintaining our own standard of living, and that of generations to come. Unfortunately, I must say that my observations confirm a gross neglect in science and mathematics education in this province. Let us, for example, take as an indicator, the measure of achievement of Canadian (Ontario) students in the International Olympics in mathematics, physics, chemistry, informatics etc. They are not performing at all well in comparison with students representing other nations. As a nation, we must not remain complacent, burying our head in the sand, praising our false achievements in isolation. We need to act rapidly and decisively to correct this situation in the Ontario school system. At present, there is too much useless bureaucracy. Various boards of education are working by very loose guidelines, which results in the quality of education offered, suffering badly. Something must change rapidly; otherwise, we will become a less competitive country on the world stage. It is essential that the responsible entities act with conviction, commitment and speed to correct this situation. The Ontario Ministry of Education needs an overhaul that can only be accomplished through political will and public service dedication. There is some evidence of mild action, recently taken by the Ontario Ministry of Education, in directing school boards to have more transparency and accountability in their work. As such, school boards in Ontario will be required to publicly report the details of their professional development (PD) sessions, among several other performance indicators, under legislation that gives the education minister greater control over boards. Along with PD day transparency, the regulations newly outlined by the province include mandates for boards to report on areas that include attendance rates, the percentage of students participating in a job skills program and the rate of students meeting or exceeding provincial standardized test standards. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the first set of regulations that are part of the recently passed Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act will help “refocus” boards on academic achievement and life and job skills. “This sends a clear signal to Ontario’s school boards we’ve listened to the priorities of our parents putting common sense at the centre of our education system,” Lecce wrote in a statement. The government passed its Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act just before the summer break, giving Minister Lecce greater powers to set regulatory priorities and school board policy. Minister Lecce has said the legislation will get boards “back to the basics” of education. The regulations include setting three provincial education priorities: achievement of learnings outcomes in core academic skills, preparation of students for future success and student engagement and well-being. A memo from Lecce and the deputy education minister circulated to school boards last week notes “local needs and perspectives including Francophone and/or Catholic needs,” can also be taken into account when developing plans to meet those priorities. The memo notes the province plans to bring in regulations in time for the school year to establish a new certificate pathway to get more student-teachers into the classroom. It says the certificate will give teacher candidates more hands-on learning experience and provide boards with “flexibility to address short-term teacher supply needs.” That has obviously raised concerns among some teachers’ unions, which are in the midst of negotiating new contracts with the province. The province also says that it will mandate that the Ontario College of Teachers cut down on the time it takes to issue its certification decisions for internationally trained teachers, from its current 120-day target to 60 days. The teachers’ unions did not like these decisions very much, looking with suspicions on the increase of ministerial powers. But isn’t it time to concentrate on the better education of students, rather than self-serving issues? It is time to give a better education for our children and youths. The Ministry is certainly on the right path, but let us see if it will continue on this road. Once and for all, we need to concentrate on seriously teaching science and job skills. The future of Canada as a developed nation depends on a citizenry that knows understands and can do science. “The key to achieving that, is the effective teaching of a scientifically sound curriculum by knowledgeable and dedicated practitioners in a community of practice,” according to Dr. Cecilia Kutas, an early math education specialist and former Professor of Organic Chemistry, who advocates ‘talking math to make sense of it’. Let’s go to work seriously in this direction, instead of getting lost in meaningless projects that lead nowhere at best, and result in dissatisfaction, misinformation, and undue resentment at worst. Let us put forth our best efforts for the benefit of future generations. What do you think?