While We Were Sleeping: The Death of Public Education in Canada
While We Were Sleeping: The Death of Public Education in Canada
by: Michael Fullan
date: November 19, 2025
After a brief fling with reforming public education in the first decade of this century, Canada, like many countries, went into a coma, starting somewhere around 2008. We have slept through this past decade and a half only to be awakened by the realization that the education system’s capacity to adapt and remain relevant has ground to a halt. At the same time, a super powerful unknown entity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), has seemingly come out of nowhere to blanket the playing field. The key question is: will AI diminish humanity, or will it be the wakeup call that takes us into a new universe of wellbeing and deep learning? At this point policy makers at both the Provincial and Federal Levels have shown little interest in investing in the JK to grade 12 education system. This is a fatal mistake. A renewed education system is vital to our future including partnering with youth and teachers as changemakers.