Concerns about online learning becoming permanent; Education unions foresee potential problems

BY PAUL JUNOR

There has been much concern among education stakeholders about what will happen in schools after the COVID-19 pandemic has waned.  On Wednesday, March 24^th, 2021 the Globe and Mail revealed that it gained access to a confidential Ministry of Education document, which indicates that the government plans to make remote learning permanent.

The document states, “If introduced and passed, beginning in September 2021, parents would continue to have the ability to enrol their children in full-time synchronous remote learning if they chose going forward. School boards would also be required to provide students with remote learning on snow days and in the event of an emergency that results in a school closure.”

The Globe and Mail reported that during the current school year there has been about 300,000 elementary and 100,000 high school students registered in school boards across Ontario. Furthermore, Ottawa’s Public and Catholic school boards have already called on parents to select either in-person or virtual learning for their children. This request is being made in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The document notes, “If implemented, this change will help ensure students have continuous access to public education, even when they cannot attend a physical school.” Many education stakeholders are concerned about the implications of this decision in terms of how it could impact the public education system.

Caitlin Clark (spokesperson for the Education Ministry) stated “Online learning has been absolutely critical throughout the pandemic and in mitigating learning loss. We continue to consult and engage with stakeholders on maintaining this choice for parents and ensuring its availability this September.”

The document indicates that students in high schools will be able to pick courses from a prescribed list of online courses in time for the 2022-23 school year. These courses will be either a teacher-supported online one, or independent by TVO (English- based) and TFO (French-based).

Harvey Bischof, president of OSSTF told The Globe and Mail on Wednesday, March 24^th, 2021 that, “Along with a variety of concerns, which include pedagogical concerns, social-emotional concerns. I worry that they are building an infrastructure that they could easily then sell off to the highest bidder in order to privatize a chunk of Ontario’s public education system.”

Stephen Leeece, Ontario’s Education Minister, satiated that a final decision is coming within the next few weeks. He states, “I believe so strongly that keeping schools open is fundamental to their (children’s) health and to their wellness, but I also believe parents will make the best decisions for their children. So right now, we’re consulting with a variety of partners in education to get their perspective on how we can potentially create a system that is safe, but also provides parents the choice that I think Ontarians benefited from this past summer.”

It is clear that the government hopes to build on the momentum. Sam Hammond, president of ETFO told CP24, “The move to virtual learning was never intended to be permanent; it was a temporary measure intended to deliver emergency instruction during a global pandemic. To be clear, this plan will negatively affect students, increase inequities, lower standards in publicly funded education, and put us one step closer to the privatization of public education.”

Furthermore, Liz Stuart, president of OECTA stated, “I think we can all agree that safety is always paramount, but both the education and health experts have been very clear about the fact that we understand the importance of in-person learning because that’s the best for students, not just academically, which is important, but also for that social and emotional piece.”