Education is the Key to Ontario's Future Success


TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 15, 2012) - The Liberal Government understands that the success of our students will shape the future of Ontario. As a result, it has made tremendous strides to keep Ontario's publicly funded education system the best in the world. This is also why the government has stated that education would be protected in terms of funding.

The comprehensive report released by Don Drummond and his Commission today, was tasked with reforming Ontario's Public Service. It has provided the government with many options to consider when dealing with its projected deficit. Several of those recommendations focus on the education sector and are extreme measures which would be detrimental to student success. These financial recommendations do not take into account the realities of delivering quality education to students. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) would regard the implementation of several of these recommendations as extremely confrontational.

"However, we understand any report of this magnitude requires thorough investigation and analysis before its full impact can be determined. As the Premier has reminded everyone, it is Don Drummond's role to advise, it is the government's role to make decisions," stated Ken Coran, President of OSSTF/FEESO.

Coran also commented that "Premier McGuinty has repeatedly stated that the key to Ontario's future success lies with a strong, publicly funded education system. The Premier has made it clear that...while we can't build the future for our kids...we can build our kids for the future. That's what education is all about."

President Coran also commented that, "This means we must equip students with the knowledge, attitude, skills and sense of community they need to be successful and we need for a vibrant and strong Ontario. Our goal must be to send them out into the world with confidence, ready and able to make a real contribution.

We can only achieve this by maximizing opportunities for students, ensuring they receive individual attention from adults and have access to resources to build that solid foundation of skills and attitudes they need for the future."

"We need to stimulate the economy and create and preserve jobs for the future of our students, and for the future of our province. We welcome dialogue to discuss the impact of some of the recommendations as they relate to ensuring students receive the attention and resources they need to maintain the excellence and strength of our education system and keep it world class," concluded Coran.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.

Contact Information:

Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
Ken Coran
President
416.751.8300 or 1.800.267.7867