6. The Right to Education "Every child has the right to learn even if it is in a special class."

Success By 6 Peel presented on the important right of education to the Peel Regional Council on National Child Day in collaboration with principals, students, parents and caregivers from the Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel District School Board.

Mr. Joel Hartling, principal of Hickory Wood Public School, talked about the school readiness centre that responds to the burgeoning population in the community. It currently serves 320 family members per week and has a waiting list of 120. He introduced Ms. Farhat Kahn and Mr. Gurpreet Bhatia, who are involved in a parent group at the readiness centre.

Ms. Karen Kovacs, principal, St. John Fisher Catholic Elementary School talked about the role schools play in addressing the needs of its surrounding community. In 2006, staff at SJFCES recognized that some children were starting school without the basic skills needed to do well and decidedly took steps to change that through a partnership of key agencies to create the program: St. John Fisher Neighbourhood Learning Place.

Ms. Kovacs introduced four students, each of whom brought a unique perspective to the topic of the Right to Education. Twelve-year-old, Cindy Tran talked about the importance of a good education in developing a rewarding career. Monika Ferreira, a French language student talked about how rewarding it is to learn a different language. Aidan Rankie, a 12-year-old boy living with leukemia and a learning disability talked about the support he receives from his teachers and classmates, and the fact that he now feels he can “achieve anything." And, lastly Jhaster Abutin, a 14-year-old, Grade 9 student at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School. talked about how much he appreciated the Canadian education system because in the Philippines, where he is orginally from,  he was only able to attend school up to Grade four.