Desperate times call for desperate measures. However, it cannot be an excuse for unpreparedness. While there may be many critics right now talking about our system’s unpreparedness to deal with a pandemic medically and administratively, it appears, not many people may realize that academic preparedness for times like these is equally essential.
It is almost a month since the public-school system was closed in Ontario to help stop the spread of COVID-19. For the first few weeks province provided a few online learning resources. However, in late-March, the Ford government introduced a teacher-led online learning system to be rolled out on April 6. The system according to the Education Minister Stephen Lecce is designed to make sure that graduation of no student is “jeopardized.”
In the case of high-school students, by now many have already accepted post-secondary admission offers. While the education minister says that the government will ensure students will have full support from the government to accomplish their goal of entering college or university this fall, there is no clarity on how this would happen.
Accessibility is another issue. To assume that e-learning can replace secondary education can be faulty. Even Education Minister Lecce recognized this. If all outcomes cannot be accomplished, the purpose of schooling fails here. There are many students in remote and rural Ontario who do not have access to necessary resources needed for online learning. Education Minister Lecce said in a statement, “We have designed the strategy based on the technology and resources that currently exist at home.”
“I also want to recognize that boards have explored alternative options for students’ access to technology, including engaging in regular conversations with telecommunications providers to determine what options exist to allow families to access Ontario’s world-leading online learning resources,” said Lecce. It is worth noting that no uniform province wide support was provided and it was left on school boards to facilitate. This, in turn, impacts the students directly as students in different boards face similar problems but are provided with different responses.
Ontario’s largest school board, Toronto District School Board, said that they expected to distribute “Wi-Fi enabled” devices to students who require them by April 14, more than a week after the online learning started. Comparatively, this is still better support than other school boards. For example, Lakehead District School Board of Thunder Bay would be providing devices and will be working with community partners to provide “internet access where possible.” Ian MacRae, director of education at Lakehead Public Schools, further added, “Those without digital access will be provided with a weekly package for learning each Monday. These can be picked up at the school or in some cases they may be delivered.” However, the main problem is that all the students across the province would be evaluated with same parameters even though with unequal resources.
We also should not forget the students that require special assistance in learning. When accessibility is still an issue in physical classrooms, it is still unclear how this would be addressed in virtual classrooms. While the education minister acknowledged this issue, just as with other issues, no clarity was provided on how this would be addressed.
There may not be a simple answer to any of these problems, but it is certain that our system has failed in disaster preparedness and planning as far as academics are concerned. While I, too, struggle to manage my studies with limited resources for my college, I hope that high-school students across the province cope with the resources they are provided, which are way less than I have in some cases.
Hansil Mehta is a student in Bachelor of Journalism program at Humber College.
Hansil Mehta 