College welcomes legislative changes to improve student protection and math instruction
October 25 2018
Bill 48, the Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018, received first reading on Thursday, October 25, 2018.
The College welcomes these legislative changes, which will expand the definition of sexual abuse and require mandatory revocation for any acts of sexual abuse.
Expanding the Definition of Sexual Abuse
Earlier this year, the College urged the government to amend our legislation to further expand the definition of sexual abuse acts that would result in the mandatory revocation of a member's licence.
These acts included other forms of physical sexual relations between the member and the student other than sexual intercourse and touching of a sexual nature of the student by a member that is not restricted to an identified body part.
The College welcomes these legislative changes that will further expand the definition of sexual abuse to better protect Ontario students from abuse by teachers.
Entry to Practice Examination: Mathematics
The College is committed to ensuring that teachers receive the initial and ongoing teacher education to prepare them to support students in all areas including math. Our accreditation of teacher education programs ensures that new teachers are enabled to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills of the Ontario curriculum, including math. Multiple math additional qualifications have also been developed and accredited with an aim to enable teachers to enhance and deepen their knowledge and skills in teaching math to students at a variety of levels.
The College looks forward to working with the government to establish mechanisms to further enhance teacher competency in mathematics.
College Governance Structure
Earlier this year, the College launched an independent review of our governance structure. The report, conducted by David Brown of Governance Solutions will be completed in December and include recommendations on the size and scope of the College’s Council and its 14 committees.
Mr. Brown has consulted broadly with members of the public, teaching profession, and stakeholders over the last several months to inform his recommendations. The College looks forward to receiving his findings and to working with the province to improve the efficiency and efficacy of our governance practices and structures including any legislative, regulatory and/or bylaw amendments that will further the College in its work to protect the public interest.
The Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs and regulates the profession of teaching in the public interest. It sets standards of practice and ethical standards, conducts disciplinary hearings and accredits teacher education programs affecting its more than 236,000 members in publicly funded schools and institutions across Ontario. The College is the largest self-regulatory body in Canada.
For further information: 416-961-8800 or Toll Free (Ontario Only): 1-888-534-2222
Brian Jamieson, Senior Communications Officer, ext. 655, bjamieson@oct.ca
Olivia Yu, Senior Communications Officer, ext. 620, oyu@oct.ca
Gabrielle Barkany, Senior Communications Officer, ext. 621, gbarkany@oct.ca
