Education Ministers release vision statement for on-line learning

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) released today a pan-Canadian vision statement for on-line learning. Building on efforts already initiated by Ministers of education and postsecondary education, the common vision statement is intended to help Canada’s provinces and territories continue as leaders in the emerging world of e-education.

“Individually and as a group, provincial/territorial governments have become increasingly involved in all aspects of on-line education,” said the Honourable Glenn Hagel, Chair of the CMEC Consortium on Postsecondary Expectations and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training. “This vision statement establishes common priorities for provinces and territories in e-learning, and will help ensure that on-line learning can be accessed by all Canadians who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in order to advance their education and career.”

The vision statement outlines important themes that provinces and territories can build on in current and future on-line learning initiatives, undertaken by individual jurisdictions or on a pan-Canadian basis. CMEC’s e- learning priorities build on the existing initiatives of provinces/territories, making the most of best practices and potential collaboration. The CMEC Consortium on Postsecondary Expectations will be developing a detailed action plan over the next few months. An overview of all major on-line learning initiatives and programs currently in place across Canada and a high-level action plan on e-learning have also been released with the vision statement.

CMEC has an active interest in on-line learning. In February 2001, education ministers received the final report of the Advisory Committee for Online Learning, which was jointly established by Industry Canada and the CMEC Consortium on Postsecondary Expectations. The report called upon governments to take an active role in the development of Canada’s on-line education community.

Electronic versions of the vision statement, the action plan, and the e- learning overview can be found at www.cmec.ca. The documents were prepared as part of the ongoing work of the CMEC Consortium on Postsecondary Expectations. Quebec and Yukon have opted for observer status in this consortium.

Formed in 1967, CMEC is the national voice for education in Canada. Comprising the ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and postsecondary education of every province and territory, CMEC is a forum in which jurisdictions can share information and best practices in order to enhance the quality of education across Canada. CMEC also works with the broader education community to ensure that Canada’s systems of education are among the most innovative and flexible in the world.