By Tony Dean

The current noise in the education system – while it is understandable on both the union and government sides – should not take attention away from the significant achievements made in the education system since 2003 and the billions of dollars poured into elementary, secondary and post-secondary education by the current government.

Improving student learning outcomes has been a priority for the Premier from the outset and has been a hallmark of the Dalton McGuinty regime and its budgets.

Without much fanfare or media notice the latest Education Quality and Accountability Office results released last week show additional increases in Ontario student performance. The number of students reaching the provincial standard is up by 16 per cent compared to 2002-03.

This fall, a total of about 120,000 children will be enrolled in full-day kindergarten.

Graduation rates have moved up sharply, too – from 68 per cent in 2003 to 82 per cent today.

Ontario is now recognized across Canada and around the globe as a leader in educational excellence. Its students rank among the best in the world when it comes to standard test results. Ontario children consistently score above the Canadian average in math, reading and science.

Smaller class sizes are seen as a factor in that success. The impact of class size on student outcomes has been debated in the education literature but the Premier’s focus on smaller classes has been good news for teachers as hiring has been way up.

The government has created 60,000 new post-secondary spaces since 2003 and many students who are off to college or university this week will benefit from the new provision that will see a 30 per cent cut in tuition fees.

On that note it was Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Glen Murray’s musings on post-secondary sector reform that made the news this past week. Murray raised the possibility of returning to three year B.A. degrees, year-round campuses, more rigorous approaches to accreditation and online learning based on the U.K.’s Open University model.

Murray is an activist by nature and has been searching for a meaty agenda. There is some big stuff here and some of it – especially a serious discussion about three-year degrees – is overdue.

While working in government I recall attending a public service strategic planning discussion on the future of post-secondary education at which I asked why three-year degrees were not on the table. It was like throwing a bomb into the room.

Three-year degrees are pretty standard stuff in the U.K. and indeed across Europe. Some students who choose to stay on for a fourth year in the U.K. can earn a combined graduate and post-graduate credential.

Examining options for more online post-secondary learning makes sense, too. Learning this way is not my cup of tea personally but educational policy has to keep up with customers’ expectations. And many students of all ages would welcome this option. It would also expand accessibility to remote parts of the province.

We will hear all sorts of reasons why these approaches are good, and not so good, for education. The important thing is to open up the discussion.

Murray, the Premier and his Cabinet are to be applauded for being open to change in a change-resistant sector.

Tony Dean is a former Secretary of the Cabinet and head of the Ontario Public Service. He is currently a professor at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance and continues to advise governments on public policy.

Tony Dean: Murray makes a splash

Read this for free.