TORONTO — Most students in Ontario’s first graduating cohort subject to the province’s mandatory e-learning requirement did not complete the online credits needed under the policy, according to newly released Ministry of Education data, prompting renewed debate over whether the requirement should remain in place.The figures, first obtained and reported by the Trillium and later reviewed by CBC News, show that among the 2023-24 graduating cohort, more than 104,000 students either opted out of or were exempted from the e-learning requirement, while just over 46,000 students completed it.The cohort was the first graduating class affected by the Progressive Conservative government’s e-learning mandate, introduced during the 2020 school year. The policy requires secondary school students to complete two online learning credits in order to receive an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.Students may opt out with parental consent, or independently if they are 18 years old or have withdrawn from parental control. The data covers both Ontario’s public and Catholic school systems.The numbers have become a point of contention at Queen’s Park.During Question Period last week, Liberal MPP Rob Cerjanec raised concerns about the uptake of mandatory online learning, arguing that the data demonstrates a lack of support among students and families.“The data has shown that students and parents don’t want [e-learning],” Cerjanec told the legislature. “Our educators know that it isn’t the best for learning..Cerjanec also accused the government of prioritizing cost savings over educational outcomes through increased reliance on digital learning.Education Minister Paul Calandra defended the policy, saying online courses continue to provide opportunities for students across the province, particularly in smaller and northern communities where course offerings may be limited.“We’re hearing from students in all parts of the province, and particularly some of our northern communities, who have said that online courses have given them the opportunity to take a course that they would have never otherwise been able to take,” Calandra said.“That’s the whole point. Some students are in, some students are out. It’s about optionality for the students so that they can decide what is best for them.”Previous enrolment data analyzed by CBC News found that the most popular online courses during the 2024-25 school year were mandatory graduation requirements and courses commonly used for post-secondary admissions.The most enrolled online course was civics and citizenship, a compulsory credit that attracted nearly 23,000 students. Other high-demand online courses included English, mathematics, biology and chemistry.The Ministry of Education data does not indicate which specific courses were taken by students who completed the e-learning requirement, nor when those courses were completed between 2020 and 2024.The issue is also before the legislature. Interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser has introduced a private member’s motion calling for the elimination of mandatory e-learning credits and the restoration of online learning as a voluntary option for secondary school students. The motion has not yet been voted on.
