Education

Standing Committee on EDUCATION

The mandate of the Education Committee is to assist and inform CFUW members and the Board about education issues. The committee identifies areas for action in Canadian education, advises on opportunities for lifelong learning for members, and provides leadership on education matters on behalf of the Board.

The Education Committee has set two main priorities:

The first priority is Learning and Technology: Challenges and Benefits, asking all interested in this topic to “Learn along with us”. CFUW is an active participant in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Action Campaign, Unite to Act. Our national focus is on SDG 4: Quality Education, to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

The second priority for this committee is Mental Health Concerns in the Education Sector: Students and Staff, beginning the work with investigations beyond anecdotal information, looking for quantitative analysis of supports provided in educational systems across the country at elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels.

Early Learning and Child Care has also long been an issue of concern for CFUW. Since 1972, we have been advocating for further investment, structure, and support for ELCC. CFUW strongly believes that education is a public responsibility and a social investment that must start in the earliest years of children’s lives, including affordable, accessible, high quality early learning and child care.

Federal-Provincial bilateral Early Learning and Child Care agreements were signed in 2022 to reduce fees and reach $10 a day care by 2026. While this is seen as a major victory, we will continue to monitor the implementation of the agreements.