OSSTF/FEESO Celebrates Education Week May 5-9, 2014

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 5, 2014) - Education Week was first celebrated in 1930, and this year, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) commemorates Education Week's 84th anniversary with the theme Ontario: World Class.

Education Week was established by OSSTF/FEESO in the fall of 1930, during a period of waning public interest in education due to the Depression, when a good education was no longer considered a guarantee of employment. It was hoped that by highlighting a new secondary school curriculum and celebrating public education, the citizens of Ontario would once again take an interest in their schools. In the years that followed, Ontarians developed a renewed sense of concern for education and the government made a strong commitment to strengthening the province's public education system.

Today, with members working in elementary and secondary schools as well as universities, OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott reflects on the importance of this province's public education system, "Students are graduating into a world very different than the one many of us did. It is through the hard work, dedication and professionalism of education workers that the students of Ontario will continue to receive a world class education that prepares them for an evolving world where lifelong learning is a necessity."

"Our members strive to provide students with opportunities to develop and grow in a safe, nurturing environment. Education Week provides us with an occasion to celebrate their role in the creation of a bright future for students and for Ontario. Please join OSSTF/FEESO in appreciating the education system we have and envisioning what it will look like in the years to come, during Education Week," concluded Elliott.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.