Ontario government takes next steps to privatize education

By OSSTF/FEESO

Ontario government takes next steps to privatize education

(Toronto) -"Today, the Ontario government turned over the development of teacher testing to a private American company," said Earl Manners, president of OSSTF. "This is the same Minister of Education that promised a made in Ontario test for Ontario teachers but, flip flops on education policy are not new for the Harris government when it comes to opportunities for increased privatization."

"The Minister's announcement today opens the door to an increased politicization of education in Ontario. The Minister is bypassing the College of Teachers, which the government set up, and, which has a mandate to develop professional standards for teachers.

"In her briefing to teacher leaders this morning, the Minister announced that the accreditation of teacher development would be handled by a combination of the College of Teachers and a selected group of government appointees. Government appointees are not accountable and will further open teacher professional development to the private sector.

"When the Minister first announced teacher testing after the June 1999 election, OSSTF simply asked, where was the test? Today, there is still no test but we now know the test will be delivered by a private, American company paid for with Ontario public tax dollars - so much for this government's professed commitment to public education in Ontario," concluded Manners.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 50,000 members across Ontario. They include public secondary school teachers, occasional teachers, teaching assistants, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, attendance counsellors, and many others in education.

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Sourced from: Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation