HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-11-22, Page 19Wednesday, November 22, 2006
TIMES—ADVOCATE
19
Avon Maitland board hears information on Bill 52
By Stew Slater
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE
SEAFORTH — Except in the rare case of the courts
becoming involved, Ontario teenagers who choose not to
attend school will not have their driver's licenses
revoked, under amendments introduced Nov. 1 to the
province's controversial Bill 52.
And in a related development which may disappoint
some proponents of alternative routes to education, it's
now much less likely that programs like 4-H will be
accepted as so-called "equivalent credits" to be put
towards the achievement of an Ontario Secondary
School Diploma (OSSD).
Bill 52 was originally introduced as a 20 -page docu-
ment containing proposed amendments to both the
Education Act and the Highway Traffic Act, aimed at
following through on the ruling Liberals' pledge to
increase the compulsory schooling age to 18. Most con-
troversial was a plan to tie attendance to the driver's
license, and the government responded by removing
almost all elements of this plan. The only vestige allows
a judge to impose the penalty under what are predicted
to be rarely- or never -used conditions.
But the original bill also included a list of possible
providers of alternative forms of education: from indus-
try to community groups to non -school training pro-
grams. This followed through on an announcement
made in Dorchester about a year ago
by former Education Minister Gerard
Kennedy: that various non -school
training programs, possibly including
4-H, would one day be accepted for
credit as part of an alternative route
to an OSSD.
Judy Cairncross, Teacher
Bargaining Unit president for the
Ontario Secondary School Teachers
Federation (OSSTF) in Huron and
Perth counties, provided information
about the OSSTF's submission about
BM 52, at an Avon Maitland District
School Board meeting Nov. 14.
In a subsequent interview, she
explained the OSSTF joined many
other stakeholder groups in opposing
the driver's license/school atten-
dance linkage.
But the labour union also joined
the College of Teachers of Ontario in
expressing concern about the "equiv-
alent credits" list in the original bill.
"We want to ensure that the quality
of the OSSD reflects a commitment to
high-quality education, no matter
how the student achieves it,"
Cairncross said. She agreed 4-H "is a
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very effective program that's vital to rural communities.
My kids all went to 4-H and I think they benefitted
greatly." But when it comes to the intensity and the
requirement to achieve certain standards, she suggest-
ed such programs don't rival those provided by qualified
teachers under an established Education Ministry cur-
riculum.
As for industries making room in their training pro-
grams for students hoping to earn credits, she added,
"the private industry has always wanted in on the public
education funding ... This has always been a fight for
the OSSTF."
Under the original Bill 52, the Education Ministry had
the authority to approve "equivalent credit" programs
without involving the school boards.
Under the amended bill, which was reduced from 20
pages to six, the proposed list of alternative providers
Ton You
for your support at the polls.
I will do my best for all residents
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has been removed, and the authority for deciding what
qualifies as an "equivalent credit" has been shifted to
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