Tuesday, October 28 was the second day of a province-wide
shutdown of Ontario's elementary and secondary schools as over
126,000 teachers continued to stay away from work to protest the
Harris government's Bill 160, The Education Quality Improvement
Act.
While the doors to some schools remained open, with small numbers
of custodial staff reporting for work, most schools were
completely closed. Picket lines were again staffed by not only
teachers, but supporting parents and students as well.
The Harris government proceeded with its plans to seek a
court injunction against the teachers to force them back to work.
Leaders of the five provincial teachers' unions have continued to
insist that they are staying away from work to carry out a
political protest against the Harris government's plans to
exercise virtually absolute control over the education system so
as to cut teachers and more funds and to prepare the ground for a
two-tier system of education. They say that refusing to teach was
the only means left at their disposal and they blame the
government for refusing to take the opinions and concerns of the
teachers into consideration.
Eileen Lennon, president of the Ontario Teachers' Federation
(OTF), told reporters that the leaders of the five unions which
cooperate under OTF will deliberate on whether or not they will
respect the court injunction. She said that the teachers were
disappointed that the government would go to the courts "instead
of addressing the concerns of not just teachers, but of parents
and citizens around Bill 160." It is expected that the government
will obtain its injunction by the end of the week.
In a television campaign estimated to cost $1 million, the
Harris government is waging a "law and order" campaign against
the teachers. "We live in a law-abiding society. Breaking the law
is not the right example. Let's put our children first," Premier
Harris says in the commercials. Harris continues to insist that
despite the fact that his government is planning to cut another
$667 million from education next year, the government's "intent
is quality."
This is a fraud of the first order since the system of
education in any country is designed to serve the economy. The
Canadian economy is such that fewer and fewer highly educated
people are needed. The education system is being geared to
provide those few with the highly technological skills required
by the highly technological economy. For the remainder, the
jobless recovery is the reality.
When the government says its "intent is quality," the people
must clearly understand that it has no relationship to their own
concern and intent to have a society that is fit for human beings
in which a livelihood, health care, education and culture are all
designed to activate the human factor/social consciousness, not
to serve the needs of the financial oligarchy for maximum
profits.
TML DAILY, 10/97
Shawgi Tell
Graduate School of Education
University at Buffalo
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
