THUNDER BAY - Students who were unable to graduate from post-secondary programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be given an opportunity to complete their degrees this summer and help get the provincial economy going again.
The province announced on Wednesday that limited in-person education and training will resume in July to allow students an opportunity to complete courses that required in-person instruction.
These programs include nursing, personal support workers, and engineering.
“Those students in that type of a situation would have to attend in-person in that situation,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “We have nursing students who have 12 hours to complete their practicum and would be working today.”
Post-secondary institutions can participate in the reopening in the summer on a voluntary basis and must develop their own plans for reopening in accordance with public health guidelines.
Romano added this will provide an opportunity to put these protocols into practice to prepare for the reopening of post-secondary institutions in the fall, which will be using an in-person, virtual, or hybrid method of delivering courses.
An announcement is expected in the coming days on what the framework will look like for reopening post-secondary institutions in the fall.
“It's critical that we allow students to complete their studies and graduate so they can join the workforce in high-demand, frontline roles and help put the province back on the path to prosperity," Romano said. "I will continue to collaborate with the postsecondary sector to determine how best to move forward on reopening our campuses in the fall and beyond in a way that is responsible and safe for our students and staff."
“Whether it's donating PPE, researching a vaccine or treatment, or helping with contact tracing, our students, researchers and postsecondary community in Ontario have stepped up in a big way to support our frontline health care workers in response to COVID-19," said Premier Doug Ford in a media release.
"Now, we have to have their backs and make sure our students can keep learning, in class or virtually, and become the next generation of frontline heroes, innovators and community builders."
Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Christine Elliott, and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce were not present during the daily media briefing. It was stated Lecce came in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 and as a precaution all three were being tested for the virus.
Lecce has since tested negative for COVID-19.
