Elementary Teachers Union Opposes Ministry of Education’s plan to maintain virtual learning option for 2022-2023 school year

BY PAUL JUNOR

Another year of virtual learning …

Parents, what are your thoughts about that?

The Canadian Press reported in an article by Allison Jones that for 150,000 students out of two million students in Ontario they will still have the opportunity to continue to learn virtually. This decision has not sat well with teachers’ unions across Ontario. The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) showed its opposition to the continuation of remote learning in a press release on Thursday, February 17^th. It states, “The announcement that the government is forcing all school boards to implement emergency remote learning for the next school year is irresponsible and makes no sense.”

ETFO would love to see an approach that is measured and thoughtful that accords with public health protocols. ETFO President Karen Brown states, “The government cannot be allowed to equate remote learning with the instruction that students receive in-person in the public education system. It is the government’s responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students in schools, but instead of making necessary adjustments they continue to stretch education resources and put added pressure on school boards, teachers and education workers by requiring them to provide online learning in the coming school year.”

ETFO has been consistently calling on the Ontario government to ensure that students return safely to in-person learning as it is the best option to maximize their learning and academic potential. It believes that only when the government makes systemic changes to ensure their learning conditions are safe will they be satisfied. ETFO believes that schools can provide maximal learning opportunities when there are:

• smaller class sizes
• adequate supports for students and special education students in particular
• ventilation improvements
• commitment to in-person learning for all students

The Ontario government insisted that it has spent about $300 million towards ventilation improvements in schools across Ontario, but it has reduced education funding by approximately $500 million which clearly will not ensure that class sizes become smaller. It has no plans to do so in the future as students look forward to March break.

For ETFO remote learning was a last-ditch strategy to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that school boards are trying to restore some sense of normalcy, there is no need to continue it.  EFTO states explicitly, “Remote learning implemented as an emergency measure during a pandemic shouldn’t be a continued option for the future. It further exacerbates inequities that exist across Ontario as a result of poor decisions made by this government.”