Beginning this year, education majors at York will have to join a waiting list before they can get a teaching job.
This change is due to the Ontario Liberal government recently implementing Regulation 274/12 to the Education Act. The regulation dictates the hiring practices for long-term and permanent teaching positions in Ontario’s public schools.
Now, principals are required to fill new teaching positions based on seniority.
According to Ron Owston, dean of the faculty of education, the older hiring practices did not require new teachers to join a list, but allowed them to directly apply for a permanent position and be hired if they were deemed qualified.
“The biggest impact of this regulation will be a reduction of new teachers, with their fresh ideas and enthusiasm, moving into the Ontario system,” says Owston. He adds that the new practices will slow down the renewal of the teaching profession because only the most experienced teachers will be given priority for interviews.
According to the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, each school board must now create a Long Term Occasional list, from which five of the most experienced candidates are chosen for an interview.
“The new regulation is troubling, and it’s making the thought of leaving school a little harsh”
To be placed on the list, teachers must first work as occasional (substitute or supply) teachers for 20 school days, and must have at least 10 months of experience in an occasional teaching position.
This includes a replacement of a teacher on maternity leave or sick leave. Once candidates meets these LTO list, where they compete with teachers who are more senior.
The new regulation is facing opposition from school boards and educators across the province. Owston believes that the new practice should be repealed and replaced by standardized interviewing procedures that take into account factors other than experience and seniority.
In a statement to Excalibur, Sam Hammond, president of the ETFO, said that the ETFO has already created a joint committee with the Ministry of Education to review the regulation.
“We want to deal with the chaos Regulation 274 is creating for our occasional teachers across the province,” wrote Hammond. According to Owston, the new hiring policies will likely impact not only the 1,100 York students enrolled in the faculty of education, but also the number of people who will apply to the program.
Meanwhile, some students within the faculty of education are already worried about the prospect of entering the workplace after graduation.
Daisy Bhambra, a third-year education student, says it’s already difficult to get a job in education and that she’ll have to work for years before she can actually do anything related to her major.
“The new regulation is troubling, and it’s making the thought of leaving school a little harsh,” says Bhambra. “I might just move out of the country in order to pursue a career in teaching.”
She also believes that the new regulation will impact the quality of education in schools across Ontario. “What we’re learning in
school right now is more fresh, and we won’t even be able to apply it,” she comments, adding that schools might not get new perspectives because of the changes.
Rameeza Ahmed
Assistant news editor
