There have been many changes in Ontario’s education system in recent years. Full-day kindergarten was introduced last year and the program continues to expand. More students are graduating from high school than in 2003, according to the Ministry of Education.
There are many new spaces for post-secondary education programs, but as many students are quick to point out, student debt is very high – an average of $25,778 for undergraduates in 2009, according to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. Ontario’s tuition fees are the highest in the country.
Here’s what the parties are proposing for Ontario’s education system.
Liberals:
* Fully implement full-day kindergarten by 2014, followed by province-wide after-school programs for kids age 6-12
* Add new summer learning camps in every school board
* Create a 30 per cent tuition grant for full time, post-secondary students from lower and middle-income families
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* Add 60,000 new post-secondary spaces including three new undergraduate satellite campuses
* Cap student debt at $7,300 for each year of undergraduate study and reduce loan payments for recent graduates who have trouble finding work
Progressive Conservatives:
* Allow teachers more discretion in running their classrooms, such as giving them the ability to ban cell phones and an increased ability to grade according to performance
* Allow greater access to OSAP loans for middle-class families
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* Root out waste and unnecessary bureaucracy in Ontario school boards
* Make full-day kindergarten fully operational for all four and five year olds in Ontario by 2014.
* Reinstate the fall report card for elementary students and allow parents to view their child’s standardized test results online
* Create up to 60,000 new post-secondary spaces
* End the foreign scholarship program and reinvest the money in scholarships for Ontario students
NDP:
* Freeze post-secondary tuition fees for the next four years
* Scrap interest on provincial portion of student loans
* Eliminate all fees for secondary school courses and programs
* Provide a per capita grant to parents’ councils at schools to be allocated to extracurricular activities like clubs and sports teams
Green:
* Freeze post-secondary tuition for the 2012-13 school year
* Index post-secondary tuition increases to the rate of inflation from 2013-15
* Expand training and certi?cation programs in green business fields such as green buildings, biomedical technology, renewable energy and sustainable transportation
* Increase investments in apprenticeship, co-op and mentorship programs
* Create a healthy school food program
* Support school-based nutrition, outdoor education and athletic programs
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