Ontario PC leader John Tory has promised to provide public funding for "faith based" schools.
As someone who has always supported the idea of parental choice when it comes to education, I think this is a step in the right direction.
If you are going to fund Catholic schools, why not fund other religious schools?
I just hope, however, that Tory's plan isn't just to turn religious schools into carbon copies of public schools.
As Doretta Wilson of the Society for Quality Education put it, "We are waiting to see to what extent the Conservatives will require participating schools to submit to the regulatory burden that is crushing publicly-funding schools. If for example, eligible schools are forced to hire provincially-certified teachers or use provincially-approved textbooks, they will be in danger of losing their uniqueness.”
What it boils down to, is that parents should have alternatives to public schools not clones. Otherwise what's the point?
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I think it's a step in the right direction too. Although it worries me that the public system is being looked at as being the model for the other schools to follow when, it's likely that most parents escaped the public system for a reason.
Also, I have heard that the Liberals have been promising some that they'll get to this idea later. I think that the Liberals like the idea too. Just go back to April and to the motion that Fonseca made to oppose public money for private schools. Only 6 Liberals showed up to support the motion.
What does THAT tell you.
Also, I've always believed that there are many Liberals who support funding for private religious schools.
Even Ed. Minister Wynne is on record in NOW magazine a while back saying she advised McGuinty to move in this direction.
The big difference is the John Tory is being honest with voters and getting the discussion out there.
How about we leave faith teaching to the parents at HOME and in the churches where it should be taught.
The catholic church enjoys this benefit because the law was passed at a time when the Church unfortunatly had a larger say in the "going ons" of politics, I believe this should be revised and they too loose public funding.
the province offers a set education that is non-discrimanitory and available to every Ontarian. If people wish to have faith based schooling then they should pay for it out of pocket just like the rich do for private schools. If there was ONE system there would be a better system with more funding as they would not require as much spending on seperate boards with separate bureaucracy and more buildings to maintain etc, the list goes on.
One system for ALL is fair and allows for more accountability. There is a little thing called Separation of Church and State" in this country, everyone is free to practice thier own religious views, but it is not to be financially supported or officially endorsed by the government. Your beliefs = your cost.
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