Toronto/CMEDIA:A plan to help students by getting them back in the classroom to catch up following two years of interrupted studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been released by the Ontario government.
“Our plan starts with a return to in-person learning, on time, and with all the experiences students need and deserve like sports, clubs and field trips. Nothing is more important,” the document reads.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Monday committed to keeping Ontario’s two million students in class for in-person learning this school year, as the province continues to face uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is so consequential to children’s mental and physical health,” Lecce said at a news conference in Ajax, where he announced his ministry’s “plan to catch up” for students who fell behind during pandemic-related school closures.
Referencing the bargaining process currently underway with education unions Lecce was reported saying that the plans being announced are on keeping kids in school every single day, without disruption to their lives, be it from the negotiations or otherwise.
Lecce’s commitment comes amid a backdrop of ongoing negotiations with the province’s education unions with him insisting that the full range of those activities be available to students.
Other parts of the plan for students include: Tutoring supports to fill gaps in learning, preparing students for the job market, providing more money to build schools, and offering students mental health supports
The province says that about $26.6 billion has been allocated for elementary and secondary education in Ontario for the 2022-23 school year and includes changes to the math and science curriculum, critical skills in finance and coding, as well as de-streamed courses in Grade 9.
#Ontario; #Education; #backtoschoolplan
