PASMA: $60 million that should have gone to students, not multinational investors

OTTAWA – Following the Minister of Education’s announcement of a $60 million investment to roll out a new digital learning platform, NDP Shadow Minister for Education, Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West – Nepean) release the following statement:

“Our classrooms are overcrowded, and the Minister’s answer is throwing tax dollars to private companies instead of listening to parents, teachers, education workers, and students," said Pasma. “This announcement raises serious concerns about the Minister of Education’s role in the growing private interests in Ontario’s public education system.”

“Ford’s minister is now imposing a standardized platform owned by multinational investment funds, with little consultation, and no meaningful choice for teachers and educators.

“Rolling out a province-wide system just two months before the school year begins, without adequate professional development and important questions unanswered, creates confusion for teachers. This system is also a one-size-fits-all approach to education that fails to take into account local, linguistic, and cultural needs, which risks leaving students behind.

“These measures being taken by the Minister of Education are not only alarming, but they are dangerous, paving the way for creeping privatization in Ontario’s education system.

“Ontario students are not an investment opportunity for multinational wealth managers. That $60 million could have gone toward meaningful investments in student supports developed in collaboration and consultation with teachers. Instead, this Minister is continuing to centralize control and ignore the professional expertise of teachers, while creating new profit opportunities for private companies.”