The province of Ontario will invest $19.41 million in several projects and initiatives to support students, parents and teachers in French-language schools. This investment is part of the new $330 million Priorities and Partnerships Fund (PPF) which funds high impact initiatives that directly support students in the classroom.
“We continue to take action to protect what matters most to Franco-Ontarian families by putting them first,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Education. “Every Franco-Ontarian family in this province should feel supported when it comes to ensuring their child has access to a meaningful and modern education.”
PPF funding will support a wide range of projects and initiatives that help retain and engage students and their families, strengthen partnerships across the system, and increase access to quality French-language programs and services both inside and outside the classroom, including:
- Funding to assist French-language school boards in the implementation of aménagement linguistique initiatives in French-language schools in Ontario, engaging students and developing their sense of belonging to the French-language school system and their community.
- Funding to support six French-language school boards, with a view to build the capacity of administrators, principals and teachers in data collecting, analysis and identifying next steps.
- Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) meetings organized regionally by French-language school boards to support SHSM programs in schools, share expertise and encourage networking among school boards.
- Funding for l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) and Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) to promote the success of French-language students with special needs.
“Education for Francophone students in Ontario is imperative, and I am proud of the work our government is doing to support students and families in our French-language education system,” said Sam Oosterhoff, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education. “We will continue to work with our education partners to ensure French-language education continues to thrive in our province.”
There are twelve French-language school boards in Ontario, with 470 French-language schools; more than 108,000 students attend French-language schools, and the province is home to more than 620,000 Francophones.
