Adedokun Waliyu 
Students will be taught a ‘personal toolbox of skills’ on mental wellness, education minister says.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Monday that Ontario will introduce a new mandatory education curriculum for elementary and high school students that aims to increase mental health literacy.
The Ontario government announced Monday it will introduce a new mandatory education curriculum for elementary and high school students that aims to increase mental health literacy, in the wake of continued challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The mission is to create a personal toolbox of skills that a young person could utilize in their life and their jobs and in the classroom,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce at a news conference.
Lecce said the province will provide $12 million for the plan this year, $14 million in 2024 and $16 million in 2025.
“This is fundamental to creating more usable, practical learning that can help young people be resilient and overcome the daily obstacles that is life,” he said. The curriculum’s focus will be around teaching students the importance of mental wellness for long-term success and reducing stigma.
The minister was flanked at the announcement by Michael Tibollo, the associate minister of mental health and addictions and Progressive Conservative MPP Natalie Pierre.
Pierre has been pushing for further mental-health teachings in schools for many years. At the news conference, she said that her 17-year-old son dying by suicide six years ago is what propelled her to pursue the initiative.
“My son was just like any other student. The day before he died, he took a university campus tour,” said Pierre, through tears. “The night before, he went to a school dance. Anyone seeing him would have observed a normal, healthy teenager. But we know now that was not the case,” she said.
She said in the months and years that followed, others contacted her to share their own experiences with mental illness. Mental literacy should be taught in schools the same way math and science are, she said.
