October 5 is World Teacher’s Day and we want to thank the many thousands of our hardworking members who devote themselves to ensuring that learning continues.
OPSEU/SEFPO is very proud to represent members involved in public education at every level and in a wide range of capacities. They include educational workers and language instructors; early childhood educators; faculty and support staff in colleges and universities; and many others.
What you have in common, besides your passion for education, is your uncompromising commitment to excellence and your concern for the well-being and best interests of learners at every age.
That’s why are our province has rightly earned an enviable worldwide reputation. That’s why investors from across the globe choose to grow their business in Ontario: They know they’ll find the advanced knowledge and skills they need right here. That’s why the backbone of our economy has always been its education system – and that’s why it will be the springboard to economic recovery.
If Ontario wants to be the economic powerhouse of Canada, it must commit significant resources to rebuilding our neglected post-secondary system. That includes attracting the best possible educators to our colleges and universities by making it attractive to work there.
It also means halting the growth of private career colleges. The government must stop using tax dollars to promote the spread of these for-profit educational corporations. We need educators who look to the needs of their students – not to their bottom line.
The 2021 theme for World Teachers’ Day is “teachers at the heart of education recovery.” In the midst of this pandemic, and with the return of in-person classes, you, our education members, are risking your health and safety to ensure students get the quality of education that no computer screen can possibly deliver. You are the heart of education.
As always, you have OPSEU/SEFPO’s full support as you undertake some of the biggest challenges in your careers. We wish you and your students great success. Above all, do everything possible to stay safe.
In solidarity,
OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas
OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida