Tory Getting Rough Ride on School Funding
| 9/24/2007 | Posted by Patti under Ontario Election |
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is the latest group to come out against Provincial Conservative John Tory’s pledge to fully fund all religious schools if he is elected Premier on October 10th. The Association calls for an end to the funding of Catholic separate schools. The move, if any politician was brave enough to back it, would be gutsy but likely political suicide.
The United Nations has called the practise of providing funding for Catholic schools but no other religions discriminatory. Tory calls his pledge to fully fund all religious schools ‘fair’. I wonder if Tory has even thought about a definition of what constitutes ‘religion’. That is a term that has to be harder to define than the word ‘terrorist’. For some, the two words mean the same.
In the early days of this country, and this province as an original part of confederation, the funding of Catholic education in Ontario and Protestant education in Quebec was a part of what forged the union of the Catholic dominated French and the Protestant dominated English parts of Canada. The religious divide really shouldn’t be necessary in an increasingly secular society.
Other provinces have taken the bold steps of obtaining the necessary constitutional amendments to opt out of faith based school systems in favour of fully funding a public school system. What’s the problem here in Ontario? No politicians with guts?
One question I’m a bit surprised hasn’t been asked though. I note that Tory predicates his full funding of private religious schools teaching the Ontario curriculum and hiring accredited teachers. Does that mean that currently they don’t have to? If not, why not?
Private schools and teacher accreditation.
No, schools outside the public funding do not need to hire only those who have met the government standards. That is why children can be home-schooled. The private system is a choice made by parents because they disagree with the regular school cirriculum or because they feel that there child doesn’t fit the ‘average’ mold in some way.
So a teacher who has been ‘cookie-cuttered’ in accepted accreditation may not be the solution to their child’s needs. These are ‘out-side the box’ thinkers you know.
And a further thought —– why only fund religious based schools. There are other kinds of schools too such as Montessori. Also, would a parent who home-schooled for religious reasons be able to get money and would a home-schooling family who did it because their child had ADHD or some other medical or social reason be denied?
Jen:
Home schooling children is a separate issue from private schools. Well the schools may exist to cater to particular desires / needs they should still be required to teach the provincial curriculum as an absolute minimum and hire accredited teachers. They can add to that to meet their needs after the basics are taught.
Your last paragraph is a major reason that I oppose any funding to a non-public system. Once pandora’s box is opened it will be harder and harder to close it without someone screaming discrimination. There should be one publicly funded system and all others will need to pay their own way.