Canada must lose its academic bias, says one of country’s top educational leaders

by Roderick Benns 

O One of Canada’s most high profile educators says this country places too much emphasis on a university education at the expense of real-world skills.

Dr. Avis Glaze, former Chief Student Achievement Officer of Ontario and now an international educational consultant based in British Columbia, says she is not blaming universities because they have never pretended to have the goal of preparing students for the workforce.

“It all comes down to one question – what is the purpose of education?” she told Leaders and Legacies. Dr. Glaze says the “instrumentalists” believe it is to prepare students for the workforce. The “humanists” believe it is to create a just society. “We won’t solve that question because the truth is, education has many purposes. We want good citizens and we also want good workers.”

However, she believes there is a bias right now in Canada toward the humanistic side and that works to the detriment of preparing students for the business world and creates a bias toward attending universities.

Dr. Glaze said that in Ontario, former Premier Bill Davis established 22 colleges across the province. They were given the mandate to prepare students for the working world and that’s what they do best, she said.

Dr. Glaze has extensive experience in international education.  She was chosen by the Canadian government to assist with educational reform in South Africa and represented Canada at the UNESCO conference on Inclusive Education in Riga, Latvia. As well, she knows schools across the globe firsthand, having worked with educators in Australia, England, Finland, Singapore, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, the Caribbean and many parts of the United States.

Of those nations, she believes Canada should emulate Germany and many of the Scandinavian nations for their strong “school to work initiatives.”

Even if the student is going to university, she says the German and Scandinavian systems ensure they still have exposure to the business world along the way.

“There is a hands-on component to learning and that differs from the academic push in Canada. We say hands ‘or’ heads but not often both. Yet the world our students will live in is about more than academics. We need to give them a sense of the real world.”

She points out the good news is that school systems across Canada are working to bridge the distance between school and the working world through innovative programs during the high school years. As well, there is a renewed emphasis on expanding old standbys, like cooperative education. One way to make these new programs even more relevant would be to make more of them mandatory, such as co-op education, said Dr. Glaze.

Dr. Glaze, who has been recognized for her work in leadership development, student achievement, school and system improvement and character development, is also a recipient of the Order of Ontario.

As Canadian provinces begin to successfully bridge the gap for students between the academic world and the business world – and Dr. Glaze is optimistic they can – she says there is another important factor to consider — ethics.

When students enter business or scientific fields, it’s important they come prepared with a well-developed, well-rounded character.

“When one considers the scientific field alone there is much to consider about ethics,” she notes. Such diverse fields as food irradiation, atomic energy, medical sciences, robotics, artificial intelligence, and others depend on ethical considerations as much as business ones, she notes.

“That’s why we must teach character education well, starting in the early years. It’s an essential component of integrating successfully into the business world.”

 

Next week: Dr. Glaze on the education of Canada’s Aboriginal students