'Don't cut our future": Windsor-Essex students join Ontario education protest
CBC News | Posted: April 4, 2019 8:40 PM | Last Updated: April 4, 2019
Hundreds of students walked out of class across Windsor-Essex as part of the province-wide protest
Students at Walkerville Collegiate Institute walked out of class Thursday afternoon, chanting "these budget cuts have got to go," as part of a province-wide protest against PC education reforms.
One student's sign says "size does matter — #students NOT sardines," in protest to the Ontario government increasing the average class sizes in high school.
Taryn McVoy, a 12th grader, wants to make it clear that teachers had nothing to do with this protest.
"Even though the teachers are losing jobs, it's their class sizes that are going to monumentally change, every dynamic in the classroom, so they just need to listen to student voices," she said.
"It's not the teachers, it's us."
The Ford government has been making a series of changes to education, from cellphone bans to adding mandatory online credits to new math and sex-ed curriculum.
Free post-secondary education tuition for low-income students has also been eliminated.
The government has said that they are reviewing the OSAP program to make it more sustainable. Right now, the six-month interest-free grace period after graduation has been scrapped.
Elementary and high school students mobilized on social media to organize the province-wide protest, using the hashtag #StudentsSayNo.
Tecumseh Vista Academy's principal, Dina Salinitri, was informed by student leaders of the protest before it took place.
"We're not providing consent to protest, however, we are supporting student voice in a safe and controlled manner," she said. "There will be no repercussions to students."
Crowds of students at Tecumseh Vista lined up against the road, holding signs and cheering, and oncoming vehicles honked in what appeared to be support of the protest.
A student's sign at Tecumseh Vista reads "We LITERALLY cannot afFORD this." Another one says "Don't cut our future."
Luka Jones, who will be attending university soon, worries what the OSAP changes will mean for himself and also for other students who will rely on government loans.
"Education is very important part for me and a lot of other people," said Jones. "And without the OSAP that they can rely on , they're not able to go to get the education they want."
The lead organizer at Tecumseh Vista, Suzan Sinjari, is graduating but she wants to show that students have a voice.
"I had opportunities that I had going to school, and I want to make sure that future generations do as well."