It was a big one. Thousands covered the south lawn of Queen’s Park on Saturday (April 6) to protest the Ford government’s plan to cut 3,475 teaching positions in the province over the next four years. That news, which emerged this week via a leaked government memo sent to school administrators, comes on the heels of plans announced by the Ford government to increase class sizes for intermediate and high school students.
The Premier and a number of PC MPPs took to Twitter yesterday to defend the proposed cuts saying the government “will not be distracted from making the necessary reforms to create a sustainable, world class education system.” Those so-called reforms include mandatory math testing for all teachers in the province that they will be required to pass to continue teaching. The government has also announced cuts to student grant programs.
To those at the rally, the Ford government’s actions amount to a declaration of war on teachers and kids. Like Mike Harris before him, who manufactured a crisis in education to justify deep cuts in the 90s, Ford is applying market principles to funding for education. It’s all about finding efficiencies, critics say, instead of investing in what’s necessary for a well-rounded education, where students actually get the attention they deserve.
Students, who themselves walked out of classes earlier this week to protest the sweeping changes to education, say they’re not being consulted by the Ford government. How does the Premier expect them to engage with a system, let alone stay in class, when the government fails to show them that regard?
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
Paul Salvatori
