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McGuinty government taking action to help kids succeed
March 5, 2004
TORONTO Ð The McGuinty government is engaging with education stakeholders tomorrow in a preliminary meeting at Queen's Park to build a strong working relationship within education and help students succeed, Education Minister Gerard Kennedy announced today.
"We have invited groups representing large numbers of people in education Ð people who have not traditionally been properly consulted before," said Kennedy. "Our goal is to seek their insight on the development of provincial education policy and to gain valuable feedback from their memberships so we can bring real, positive change to the education system."
The Education Partnership Table meeting is a practical forum where members will provide input into future directions for publicly funded education. Membership includes heads of organizations representing students, trustees, teachers, support staff, parents, business and community groups. The goal of the Partnership Table is to achieve better results for students through collaborative effort.
At Saturday's meeting, three papers will be tabled for discussion. The Partnership Table does not replace other meetings between stakeholders and the Minister where the specific interests of their members are heard. Instead, the partnership is a new opportunity for members to come together and act in the broad public interest.
"By helping students succeed today, we are ensuring Ontario succeeds tomorrow," said Kennedy. "The next four years present us with a unique opportunity to energize and focus Ontario's public education system, and it's vital that everyone is able to work together in a new spirit of co-operation and openness, to achieve better results for students."
