QUEEN'S PARK — NDP Education critic Marit Stiles says the Ford government must act now to address alarming learning gaps Ontario students are facing due to problems like out-of-date curricula and textbooks —issues highlighted by Monday's auditor general report, which started with the former Liberal government, got worse under the Ford government, and have been exacerbated by COVID-19.
"A large number of Ontario students aren't getting the education or support they need to succeed, teachers aren't getting proper support, and the extent of these learning gaps isn't being tracked," Stiles said.
"The Ford government doesn’t believe in spending in education – from its pre-pandemic plan to cut teachers and education workers and hike class sizes, to its current refusal to invest in smaller class sizes to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"Now, the auditor’s report shows that refusing to invest in schools has a consequence.
“Refusing to invest in schools is refusing to invest in student success,” said Stiles.