Step to short-term solution

Re: Let teachers decide, Hudak demands, Jan. 23. How would any other employee, at the municipal, provincial or federal level, react if his union threatened to impose disciplinary measures if he participated in voluntary activities on his own time? Why are the teachers, who should be guiding students in becoming autonomous and independent citizens, accepting such behaviour from their union leaders?

The proposals of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives are but a first step with a short-term solution. Peace will only reappear on the educational scene when the fundamental issues are addressed. There is no guarantee that things will get better if the government gives in to the teachers’ demands. Only the courts can rule on the constitutionality of Bill 115; until a legal decision is made, students should not be used as pawns.

The time has come for the provincial government, be it Liberal, Conservative or NDP, to put an end to the monopoly teachers’ unions have over publicly funded education. It is time to give parents a greater say in the type of education they want for their children; many options are available (partial subsidies for private schools as in Quebec, creation of charter schools, schools with nonunionized employees accountable to the ministry of education instead of school boards).

We have gone too far in granting teachers’ unions a greater say than the government in how schools are administered. It is time that the provincial government, in particular the ministry of education, assume full responsibility over education by enacting proper legislation guaranteeing all students in Ontario the best educational experiences, including extracurricular activities.

PIERRE DROUIN, Orléans