Withholding EQAO results: If Math Gets Weaker, Government Failures Get Easier to Hide

OTTAWA — After ramming through Bill 33, Ford’s minister of Education is continuing to hoard and centralize power over Ontario schools by now choosing to withhold the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) results from educators and parents. NDP Shadow Minister for Education Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West – Nepean) released the following statement:

“I have never seen a minister hold back student results before, and it is deeply troubling,” said Pasma. “Parents and educators deserve to know how our children are doing, but Doug Ford’s Minister of Education thinks sharing information is optional. This is not transparent or accountable behaviour from the Minister, and it prevents families from supporting their kids and helping them achieve academic success.

“Unfortunately, this comes to no surprise because the government is also failing to be transparent about or accountable for the funding cuts they’ve made which means that our children are in overcrowded classrooms being supported by fewer caring adults. It’s as if the government hopes poorer math and critical thinking skills will keep future generations from adding up how its financial mismanagement and scandals are diverting resources from desperately needed services like health care and education.

"Hiding the results also suggests that the test scores are showing the impact of the government’s funding cuts. Students cannot get the attention they need when teachers are stretched beyond capacity. We need to fund our schools properly so we can hire more caring adults and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.”