THUNDER BAY — A $5.3 million dollar boost will help Lakehead University educate 488 more teachers.
It’s time to address the teacher shortage affecting students across the province, said Lakehead University President Gillian Siddall on Tuesday.
“Today's funding announcement is just amazing, it's a wonderful thing for Lakehead,” Siddall said. “We are very grateful to the province of Ontario for the funding that they have given to us and other universities in Ontario.”
“There is a shortage, and we can address that shortage by educating more,” she said. “Teachers and this funding allow us to do that right.”
“You can't undervalue the investment that's being made here at Lakehead University,” said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan, who made the announcement at Lakehead.
“Our government recognizes the quality programming that's being offered here at Lakehead University to train our next teachers.”
Siddall said the teacher shortage across the province is most prevalent in northern communities.
“The shortage is even more urgent here in the North, and further north, and in rural communities, Indigenous communities. So this funding allows us to address that shortage and make sure that those students in those regions get the education they deserve,” she said.
The 488 new seats in the bachelor's of education program will provide more full-time teachers to students in the region, Siddall said.
“There's a reliance on part-time teachers, and while they are always amazing, there's really nothing like a full-time teacher — and teachers bringing that expertise, that training into the classroom," she said. "And making sure that our students get a fabulous education.”
So far, the funding has yet to be allocated around the university, Siddall said.
“Be sure that we are getting teachers into the north, it'll depend a bit on demand and where the students are who wish to get this education, but we're always focused on serving our regions and serving the North,” she said.
“The next teachers are really going to provide that base, that foundation, for our children, and you can't undervalue that investment,” Holland said.
Lakehead is one of 13 publicly funded universities offering a Bachelor of Education in the province to received funding to expand its teaching program, according to a media release.
The funding is a part of the previously announced Ontario governments $55.8 million investment to get up to 2,600 teachers into classrooms by 2027.
