A former educator is worried the changes the province is making to education will affect students' ability to thrive, especially in high school.
Geoff Williams, a former director of education for the Avon Maitland District School Board, said increasing the student to teacher ratio in high school, forcing on-line learning and changes to the math curriculum, presents a real challenge to a lot of students.
"It interests me that the government is making no attempt to say that this is going to improve student success or graduation rates from high school," said Williams. "But is focusing entirely on the dollar amount and the impact on the budget."
The student to teacher ratio in high school is being increased to 28:1.
"I think the biggest impact is going to be program. Particularly in smaller, secondary schools which are often in rural areas," said Williams.
Students will also be asked to complete four credits online in order to graduate.
"There are some students who can thrive in that environment, there are many students who cannot," said Williams. "Online learning is not a panacea for a lot of students who find it very difficult to operate in that environment."
Beyond not having classroom support, some families could struggle because they just don't have the technology available at home.
Williams first shared his concerns on Facebook and his comments, and similar comments from others, have circulated around social media.
Williams, who was also the director of labour relations for the public school board association, said the concerns about an increase in teacher workload is legitimate.
