Thanks for visiting my page.
I can be reached at 
gpieters@oise.utoronto.ca
Education related excerpts of a letter to Stephen Lewis from: Elaine Ziemba, Minister of Citizenship With Responsibility for Human Rights,Disability Issues, Seniors' Issues and Race Relations and Marion Boyd,Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues
May 3, 1994
Dear Mr. Lewis:
When our government reviewed your analysis of racism in Ontario's education system, we realized that long-term changes would be needed within all levels of the system. You gave us direction and concrete initiatives to start making the education system "reflect the profound multicultural changes in Ontario society." By October, 1993, we had taken action on all 10 of the recommendations with three goals in mind: to eliminate barriers to the recruitment of racial minorities and Aboriginal peoples into the teaching and administrative levels of the education system; to eliminate racism at the classroom level; and to make the curriculum more reflective of the students served by the school system in Ontario.
To address recruitment, the Ministry of Education and Training undertook four measures. In July, 1993, it announced $1.4 million for eight initiatives aimed at increasing the representation of teachers from racial minority, Aboriginal and ethnocultural communities under-represented in the teaching profession. These initiatives include recruitment,admissions and programming in the faculties of education, and certification of teachers trained outside Canada.
In response to the recommendation to monitor implementation of employment equity in Ontario school boards, the government passed Bill 21 in July,1992, part of which gives the education minister the authority to require school boards to implement employment equity policies. This legislation will now be harmonized with the government's Employment Equity law, which will also apply to colleges and universities.
The Ministry also released guidelines in October, 1993, for changes in the composition of governing boards of colleges and universities to ensure that their boards, "reflect the changing society of Ontario."
To address recommendations on racism and discrimination in the classroom, our government undertook three measures. First, destreaming of Grade 9 will be fully implemented by all school boards by September, 1994. Secondary, the Ministry of Education and Training now requires all school boards to develop and implement policies on anti-racism and ethnocultural equity and submit them for approval by March 31, 1995. To support this initiative, four additional education officers in regional offices have been provided to assist school boards. As well, staff in regional offices have been trained to work with school boards in developing these policies.
A package of resource materials will be provided to school boards. These include suggestions for developing policies, an elaboration of the criteria for policy approval, as well as a description of the evaluation process. Regional symposia are being held in May and June of this year to give school boards the opportunity to share their policy development as well as best practices.
At the post-secondary level, a policy framework calling for adoption of strong harassment and discrimination prevention initiatives at colleges and universities was announced in October, 1993. Community colleges are to submit their policies to the Ministry of Education and Training for approval; universities to the Ontario Council of University Affairs for review.
We also responded to your recommendation that an Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Education and Training be named to co-ordinate anti-racism and ethnocultural equity issues. In October, 1993, Ouida M. Wright was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for Anti-Racism, Access and Equity. She is responsible for leading a new division to ensure that the education, training and employment policies, programs, services and practices within the ministry's jurisdiction are, and will continue to be, anti-racist and equitable.
You identified the need to revise the curriculum at every level of education so racial minority students could identify themselves and their history in all facets of their learning. After extensive consultations with principals, superintendents, community representatives and students on this issue, the ministry made a commitment to address anti-racism, on an ongoing basis, in all policy and curriculum documents in development. This commitment has been realized in various documents. For example, Changing Perspectives, an anti-racism resource document for teachers from kindergarten to the end of high school, was released in July, 1993. Teachers will also find in the Common Curriculum an integrated anti-racism perspective.
The Circular 14 Advisory Committee, which advises on learning materials and textbooks, has been expanded to include racial minority educators. New criteria for evaluating bias in learning media for youth in schools have been developed. Select textbooks, currently on Circular 14, are being re-evaluated in terms of bias. In addition, training programs for evaluators and publishers are now being held.
Our government has also begun to address your concern about support for Ontario's English as a Second Language/Actualisation linguistique enfrancais programs. During 1993, the ministry, through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, conducted a survey of these programsin 20 school boards to assess the overall adequacy of programming relation to need.
We believe strongly that adults and children must receive appropriate education and training to prepare them to become productive members of society. That is why we are also undertaking a variety of other education initiatives in addition to the recommendations in the report.
For example, the Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat's Change Your Future program is in its narrowest sense designed to reduce the drop-out rate of racial minority students from school.
Complementing the Secretariat's Change Your Future program is the Ministry of Education and Training's Partners in Education project, which pairs universities with secondary/primary schools in order to find better ways to recruit and retain racial minority and Aboriginal students in post-secondary is paired with schools in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood, Ryerson with downtown Toronto schools, and Laurentian in Sudbury with two area school boards with a focus on Aboriginal students.
For example, the Organization of Black Tradesmen and Tradeswomen of Ontario received funding to develop a model to help assess the prior learning of electricians trained in a cross-section of Caribbean and African countries. This project will be conducted in consultation with the Ontario Training and Adjustment Board.
As well, the Association of Sri Lankan graduates of Canada, in conjunction with York University, received funding to conduct a study to examine the prior learning assessment of teachers trained outside Ontario and recommend strategies to help them bridge the gap to meet Ontario Standards.
Furthermore, the Society of Vietnamese Canadian Professionals received funding to study prior learning assessment of civil engineers. The assessment will be done in collaboration with the Professional Engineers of Ontario.
The demonstration projects serve to help remove systemic barriers faced by electricians, veterinarians, physiotherapists, teachers, engineers, dentists, nurses, dental technicians, midwives, lawyers, police, carpenters and auto mechanics trained outside Ontario. The project address one or more of the following barriers: licensure testing; language testing; review and appeal processes; supplementary education/training;and prior learning assessment and credential assessment.
As well, the Ministry of Citizenship, through the Secretariat, funded the Engineers in Canada project. The project was sponsored by the Ottawa-Carleton Learning Foundation, a community-based organization working with Digital Equipment of Canada. The project centred on delivering a technical training plan for professional engineers trained outside Ontario.
In closing, we sincerely hope that you have found this review of our programs helpful and informative. We want to thank you for supporting our work over the past two years. It goes without saying that we share your urgent desire to reach out to members of racial minority and Aboriginal communities who are the victims of racism and who are looking to the government for leadership. Your report has provided the impetus for much of our legislation, and many of the programs and policies we have undertaken. If has been a catalyst for action and has helped thegovernment focus its efforts to eliminate racism in Ontario. We remain committed to a vision of equality and justice for all citizens of this province.
Yours truly,
Elaine Ziemba,
Minister of Citizenship
With Responsibility for Human Rights, Disability Women's Issues and Race Relations
Marion Boyd,
Attorney General
Thanks for visiting my page.
I can be reached at gpieters@oise.utoronto.ca
Copyright 1996-2007 Gary Pieters, All Rights Reserved. Published on October 21, 2002. Site Design and Resources Updated on January 9, 2007. Academic Content and Photographic Images From This Site May Not Be Used or Reproduced In Any Form Without The Written Consent Of The Author Of This Homepage.