Ontario. Ministry of Education (1999-)

• Ministère de l'Éducation

• Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education was formed on June 17, 1999 when the Ministry of Education and Training was divided into the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

During the years between the ministry's establishment in 1999 to the present, the ministry has grown in both size and scope to respond to an increasingly complex educational environment. Amidst the various changes and additions to its offices, some of the most notable developments include: an emphasis on early childhood education; the expansion of offices specialized in Indigenous education; greater emphasis on technology-enabled learning; and the use of a data-driven approach.

In 2017, the Ministry of Education underwent a significant reorganization, mainly involving movement of branches to new divisions, with some changes also occurring at the unit level. Some of the most notable changes included the following:

The disparate responsibilities of the French-language, Aboriginal Learning and Research Division were separated, as branches moved to the French-Language Teaching, Learning and Achievement Division; Indigenous Education and Well Being Division; and the System Planning, Research and Innovation Division respectively.

The Leadership and Learning Environment Division ceased to exist when the Inclusive Education Branch and Safe Schools and Student Well-Being Branch were added to the new Indigenous Education and Well Being Division, while the Leadership Development and School Board Governance Branch and the Teaching Policy and Standards Branch were moved to the Student Achievement Division.

The Learning and Curriculum Division was also dismantled as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Branch (re-named Curriculum, Assessment and Student Success Policy Branch) was moved to the Student Achievement Division (with only the 21st Century Learning Unit transferring to the Incubation and Design Branch of the new System Planning, Research and Innovation Division). Also, the Provincial Schools Branch and Special Education Policy and Programs Branch of the same division joined the Student Support and Field Services Division.

As well as adding the aforementioned branches, the Student Achievement Division also lost its Research, Evaluation and Capacity Building Branch, whose units became a part of the Incubation and Design Branch.

The Ministry of Education administered the system of publicly funded elementary and secondary school education in Ontario, in accordance with the directions set by the provincial government.

The ministry also provided education services to students at schools for the blind, the deaf, and the deafblind and offered correspondence courses to youth and adults through the Independent Learning Centre. The Minister of Education, through the ministry, issues curricula; sets requirements for student diplomas and certificates; and provides funding to school boards for academic instruction and for building and maintaining schools.

The minister may also set policy for student assessment, which is then carried out by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). The EQAO gave the minister advice on assessment policy, and issued reports on the results of its assessments.

Established by the Office of the Premier on June 17, 1999.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Press Release, Office of the Premier, June 17, 1999

Correspondence from the Education, 2017

Ministry of Education Staff Information Package, April 20, 2017.

Government telephone directory 2017

Info-GO, August, 2018.

Archivist(s):
Bob Krawczyk, Charles Levi; Yuri Shimpo