LETTER TO THE EDITOR — Geology necessary in Ontario schools

I am surprised by the news that geology will no longer be offered as an option in Ontario schools (“Save geology”, T.N.M., Nov. 9/98). We all know that education in this province is currently going through some turbulent times, and the government has not yet unveiled the structure of the new curriculum.

Geology should be a component of any science curriculum, as so many facets of the society we live in are linked directly or indirectly to geological processes or resources. But right now, the government of Ontario is in great haste to shove through reforms formulated according to political agenda rather than through careful study and consultation. Changes will occur for better or worse.

My 13-year-old daughter is in the eighth grade in Toronto and will be taking geology, which is part of the standard curriculum. The students have a standard textbook that incorporates the elements of mineralogy, petrology, stratigraphy, tectonic processes and economic geology. A 3-day field trip to Sudbury is planned for the spring. I myself was exposed to a similar course 30 years ago in France and it is mainly because of that course that I later decided to become a geologist.

It appears to me that the Ontario government is more concerned about the money game than bringing quality to the system. The latest revelation on the reform agenda is to equip Ontario schools with half-a-billion dollars’ worth of computer equipment and software. To school children, these will be little more than interactive television; to taxpayers, an endless money pit.

Geology should be available not merely as an option, but as part of the standard science curriculum. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to have a more uniform, standardized curriculum across Canada. Is it a surprise that a recent survey indicated that more than half of Canadians think that D-day relates to the bombing of Pearl Harbor? That is because history is offered only as an optional subject.

David Kresz

Toronto