Good afternoon. Bonsoir. I'm Estelle Ah-Kiow, the delegate from Mississauga—Lakeshore riding.
Today I'd like to talk to you about the importance of having more diversity in the realm of educational leadership. I believe that one of the greatest challenges facing the Canadian education system is the immense task of making sure that every student is equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate our complex economies and worlds.
In designing effective education programs and policies, we need innovative thinkers who are able to view fundamental questions of education policy through a global and comprehensive lens and from a variety of vantage points. If we are serious about making sure that our education system works for everyone, we simply cannot afford not to fully tap into all our available human resources, half of whom are made up of women. Overall, the field of education is a woman-dominated one, with more than three-quarters of public school teachers being female; however, only 30% of school administrators are female, and the percentage of minority female administrators is only 6.8%.
Statistics show that the education sector tends to be more gender-balanced than other areas, even though full parity is a long way off.
What concerns me most, however, is the incredibly low number of women from visible minority groups. According to a Ryerson University study, the number is dropping every year.
As a young, female, visible minority school board trustee, I see this in motion in my own life. Let me tell you, when I go to national conferences I am often mistaken for an assistant or a staff member. I think this urgently needs to change.
The student population in our school boards is becoming increasingly diverse. Our schools are serving more and more new Canadians, immigrants, and refugees. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go before school board leaders look like the students they are serving.
I believe that it's critical for us to have more diversity among the leaders whose decisions directly affect the next generation of Canadians.
I don't think it's possible to fully appreciate, on an organic level, what newcomers, particularly refugees and immigrants, go through, unless you have experienced it yourself. I think we need people who represent Canada's diverse makeup if the distinct needs of these communities are to be recognized and understood. That is why I firmly believe that more of the people running our schools and school boards need to reflect the diverse populations they serve.