Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia
[permission
to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]
The re-opening of schools and the provision of online learning amidst COVID-19 has been – let’s say – uneven. Well, yes, it has not even been that good and, yes, almost everyone knows that. British Columbia’s Premier has acknowledged that in the mandate letter to his newly appointed Minister of Education.
In his mandate letter, the Premier establishes his expectation that over the course of the Government’s mandate he expects the Minister to make progress in supporting COVID-19 recovery “by fast-tracking improvements to online and remote learning, including investing in more computers and tablets, more training for teachers and support staff, and new ways to improve social e-learning to promote group interactions between students and teachers.”
I expect that premiers across the country are saying pretty much the same thing to their ministers of education: “Fix online learning.” There is little doubt in my mind that there will be improvements made to online learning, including improvements to e-learning that promote social interaction between students and teachers and among students.
Such improvements will be time-consuming and costly, especially if they are pursued by each province and territory on its own. Yet, I expect each province will attempt to “go it alone.” I also expect that the Government of Canada will remain aloof from such efforts, though it should not and need not. The Government of Canada should be using its leadership role and its spending power to assist provinces that are willing to cooperate in developing a pan-Canadian approach to online learning.
By this point some readers are saying, “can’t be done. There’s no way that the Government of Canada can engage with the provinces and territories to improve online learning or do anything else in education. That’s the domain of the individual provinces.”
It is true that the provinces have the jurisdiction to make laws in relation to education, but there is nothing in the Constitution Act that prevents the Canadian government from using its leadership role and spending powers to work with the provinces on something such as the improvement of online learning.
In fact, when the Government of
Canada has wanted to influence public schooling, it has not been shy from
doing so. In fact, the Government of Canada has supported or
undertaken many initiatives in the realm of public schooling. For example, the Government of Canada
provides funding for PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and,
based on agreements with the provinces and territories, it also provides
financial support for minority language education and second-language
instruction.
The COVID-19 recovery in education and the improvement of online learning will take longer and be more costly if the provinces “go it alone” without the benefit of the leadership and financial resources that the government of Canada can mobilize. The federal government could help to coordinate the work of the provinces and the various federal departments and agencies that engage with public schools and provide leadership and funding to public elementary and secondary schooling in this domain.
I am mindful of the sensitivity
about the role of education in nation-building – a topic that is extremely sensitive
for the province of Quebec. But if the provinces retain their jurisdiction in
education and can establish the limits to their cooperation, I do not think the
relationship I am describing would intrude on provincial autonomy.
The establishment of a pan-Canadian online learning infrastructure and the development of courseware for mathematics and science should pose no threat to provincial autonomy. Cooperative work in languages, literature, social studies could take place among a coalition of willing provinces. Quebec could provide substantial leadership in French-language education across Canada which would strengthen French language and culture throughout the country.
Cooperation would be voluntary and would extend only so far as any jurisdiction is prepared to go. What I am describing is cooperative federalism, the provinces, territories and federal government working together to achieve common goals.
Resources are scarce. Planning for a post-COVID educational recovery that includes improved online learning is an opportunity that should not be overlooked . . . but I fear it will be.