A year-end memo from the Ministry to TVO previously instructed the public agency to “explore opportunities to generate revenue including additional opportunities to commercialize and export its educational and digital products in other jurisdictions.”
Kidder said Ford’s government is looking to turn a profit on public education and TVO isn’t as accountable as public boards are.
“You’re talking about running a profit out of education,” Kidder said. “What one wonders is that because the ILC is not the government, it’s not accountable in the same way — what will limit the monetization they’re looking at?”
TVO’s most recent
multiyear plan lists its intent to offer courses to private schools and to international students to boost revenues. The plan reads TVO will “expand ILC revenues” by:
“• Expanding international growth with an increased focus on packaging/bulk purchase and territory up-front commitments to help stabilize our ILC business revenue streams;
• Continue to expand private school, post-secondary and school board partnerships via custom package bundling and turn-key service offerings.”
A spokesperson for TVO told
PressProgress it would make its K-12 offerings available free on its website in the coming months. But, the spokesperson also said:
“To continue to provide digital learning products and current affairs journalism in a financially sustainable manner, one of our objectives is to grow ILC revenues internationally by expanding secondary school course offerings and attracting new students. This international revenue generation partly offsets the cost of delivering our courses here in Ontario.”
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association president Liz Stuart said the change appears to be an effort to erode and privatize public education.
“This privatization scheme undermines publicly funded education and the exemplary efforts of teachers and education workers who have gone above and beyond since the pandemic began to support the students in their care,” Stuart told
PressProgress.
“COVID-19 and the Ford government’s mismanaged response has taken an extraordinary toll on our schools and communities.”
Ontario’s Ministry of Education did not respond to requests for comment.