Advocating for Publicly Funded Education (OTF Report)

Universally accessible, quality, publicly funded education is the fabric of democracy and the cornerstone of a just society. Nevertheless, over the last decade, Ontario has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of private schools. Much of it can be attributed to the gutting of education by the Tory government: it took $2 billion out of the system. However, some of the increase in privatization is due to public misconceptions.

OTF’s mandate is to advocate for teachers, the profession and publicly funded education. Indeed, it is critical that OTF be vigilant in this regard. As a federation, we must constantly strive for innovative means to highlight our profession and the benefits of public education.

To this end, OTF is undertaking an advocacy campaign. The initial phase involved province-wide focus group meetings with teachers and members of the public to probe what they value in publicly funded education. We will use the information gathered in our next step – the publication of a special newspaper supplement to coincide with Education Week in May.

OTF is also focusing on another effective means of advocacy – the establishment of partnerships. It is estimated that worldwide there are 110 million children who have absolutely no access to primary school, and another 250 million children who are forced to leave school before they have basic literacy skills.

At the winter Board of Governors meeting, the Honourable James Bartleman, Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, shared an appalling reality: tragically, due to inadequate resources and programs, Aboriginal children and youth throughout northern Ontario face similar conditions to those of children in impoverished countries around the world. To remedy this situation the Lieutenant Governor has established literacy camps in these northern communities. OTF has committed resources to support his Honour’s initiatives and will sponsor a literacy camp in an effort to assist these children and youth to secure a better future.

Literacy Links is a recent initiative that OTF is undertaking in partnership with Frontier College It is funded by the Ministry of Education. Founded in 1899 by a small group of university students, Frontier College began by sending student volunteers to the frontiers of Canada. They worked alongside workers during the day and taught literacy skills in the evenings and on the weekends. Over the years, the College gradually moved from its frontier focus and developed a series of programs to address the needs of those in both urban and rural communities.

Seven communities – Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and London will participate in this new initiative which brings together families, communities, and schools in an effort to increase student literacy levels. These are areas where Frontier College is active and has a volunteer base. Through its elementary affiliates in these communities, OTF will recruit teachers who will provide support and a school/curriculum context for Frontier’s volunteer training and for its community-based parent education programs. As a result of this partnership, parents and community agencies will learn more about what teachers and public schools are doing to support student success.

OTF aims to make Ontario residents aware of the fact that teaching in publicly funded schools involves more than curriculum development and delivery. These initiatives will help make the public appreciate that teachers go beyond their duties in the classroom. By donating both their time as volunteers and financial resources through OTF they contribute to their communities, and to the creation of a just society.