Ontario Teachers Strike

Ontario Teachers Strike

Education is probably the most important resource in our society. The education System
determines our future, by educating the youngest segment of our population. For this reason, it should be
of great concern when there is a problem or an issue like a Teachers' strike.
The Ontario teachers' strike that began on Monday October 27 involves 126,000 teachers and
affects 2.1 Million students in the province. This strike is North America's largest, right ahead of the 1975
New York City strike when 60,000 teachers walked off the job . The main issue of debate is over Bill 160,
which is all about who holds The Power to set education policy in the province of Ontario. Bill 160
centralizes control of the education system, putting it in the hands of the provincial government. It
eliminates the authority of school boards and teachers' unions to set classroom and teaching conditions
locally through collective bargaining. The bill allows the government to regulate class sizes, education
property tax rates, teachers' preparation time, the amount of time teachers and students spend in school and
the use of non-certified instructors. The issue is whether teachers should have a role in educational reform.
The strike is illegal, because most of the te!
achers have existing contracts.
Ontario premier Mike Harris said that reforms are needed to stop a decline in student performance.
Although the same government announced that the bill will allow...

Ontario Teachers Strike

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