TORONTO – The controversy over the cuts to the international language program at the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), decided by the provincially appointed supervisor Frank Benedetto, shows no signs of easing.
The initiative—justified, according to Benedetto, by the need to help the TCDSB reduce its deficit—also drew comment from Ontario’s Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, who speaking at Queen’s Park said the changes bring the TCDSB in line with what is offered across other schools in the province.
“They had a unique program that no other board in the province of Ontario had but we will continue to support those programs on weekends,” Calandra said.
This means that students will attend “third language” classes, such as Italian and other community languages, on Saturdays instead of during school hours.
However, some teachers and parents are not giving up and are taking matters into their own hands. Three Ukrainian schools within the TCDSB will continue to offer language programs during the week, managed by religious instructors in collaboration with the schools. The community will cover the full cost.
“Honestly, that cut is devastating for our community,” Oksana Cherchyk, whose two children attend Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School in Etobicoke, told CP24.
Oksana explained that the school will be losing three full-time language teachers certified by the school board. “We have a huge school, and we welcome hundreds of refugees,” she said, noting that language teachers play an essential role for newcomers. “They’re helping them assimilate into the culture, showing them around, even helping them with usual day-to-day things,” Cherchyk said. “So losing teachers when you have more kids, and assuming that the parish and parents will be able to pick up the budget deficit, it won’t work, because a lot of these kids and their parents obviously are still struggling establishing themselves in a new country…”.
A country that seems increasingly to be forgetting its vocation: to “welcome.”
Imagine above from TCDSB’s Twitter X – @TCDSB
