“OPSBA has long been a leader in the development of effective strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers in Ontario. Our Labour Market Partnership initiative, with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, is currently in the final year of a three-year initiative. This was created in response to concerns raised by our member boards about the lack of qualified teachers to deliver FSL education in our schools. This issue has become an increasing challenge for all English language public school boards in Ontario.
We welcome the Ontario government’s actions announced today to ensure that all students and families who wish to, can receive a strong and robust FSL education. As mentioned in the Ministry of Education news release, OPSBA is proud to be leading three pan-Canadian initiatives including the FSL Teacher Recruitment Guide, the French Language Proficiency Assessment Toolkit and initiatives to support school principals in addressing the challenges in retaining FSL teachers. These projects are funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Government of Ontario.
We look forward to continuing our collaborative work with the government in this area.”
Cathy Abraham, OPSBA President
