Ontario: In the wake of the strike by provincial education workers, the Ford government says parents can begin applying for additional financial assistance through the Plan to Catch Up program.
Under this plan, the tutoring supports, necessary supplies or other equipment for the education of the students will be provided.
Parents of school-going children up to the age of 18 can apply at $200 per child, while parents of school-going children with special needs, up to the age of 21, can apply for $250 per child, said Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
These payments will be available through a secure website on which parents can log in and apply in this regard. The application will be accepted by March 31, 2023.
In response to a question, Lecce said that she is confident that those applying for help will use this money only for the work for which it will be acquired rather than repaying their personal debt with it.
Meanwhile, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said that these catch-up payments are nothing but putting parents against education workers.
Instead, we call on the government to use taxpayers’ money judiciously to hire more educators for Ontario’s children, give all education workers the money they deserve, and repair the school’s ageing infrastructure.