CEGEP English students in the countryside will not be forced to take three core French courses, as originally proposed, although they will instead have to take three additional French courses.
The government of the Avenir Québec Coalition (CAQ) is amending its proposed Bill 96, which seeks to revise the Charter in French, moving away from a controversial proposal originally made by the province’s official opposition.
The news was first reported by the French-language newspaper La Presse and confirmed on Tuesday night by Simon Jolin-Barrett, Quebec’s French minister.
“There are significant shortcomings in the common language proficiency in the English-language network,” a statement from Radio-Canada said. “The changes we plan to make address these shortcomings.”
Previously, the bill offered all CEGEP English-speaking students to take three of their core French courses and take a standard French test to complete. The request was added at the request of the liberal MNA Hélène David, an official critic of the opposition for the protection of the French language.
However, the Liberal Party later withdrew its proposal after facing backlash from English-speaking CEGEPs, who said the measure would increase students’ failure rates – or at least lower their average grades – and called for an amendment. to accommodate students he had studied in English elementary and high schools.
Although Jolin-Barrett agreed to their request, Liberal leader Dominic Anglad said the bill was unacceptable and her party would vote against.
“They finally came to the same conclusion as us when we told them we couldn’t let the students fail,” she said. “But that doesn’t solve all the problems with Bill 96.”
John McMahon, director general of Vanier College, said the amendment was an improvement on what was originally proposed, although his questions about implementation remained unanswered.
“The college system has been applied fairly equally in Quebec for both English-speaking and French-speaking colleges for more than 50 years, and now our concern is that two college systems can actually be set up,” he said.
If Bill 96 is passed, changes to the CEGEP curriculum will take effect in the autumn of 2024.
The three French language courses will be added to the two French second language courses that CEGEP English students must now take, for a total of five courses. (CEGEP for students enrolled in a pre-university program usually lasts only four semesters.)
English-speaking students who prefer to take the three main French classes will still have this option if they prefer.
However, this option is only available to students who are allowed to study in English primary and secondary schools. Non-eligible Francophone and allophone students will be required to take the three classes required for their French language program.
Additional load
Tiaventine the Canadian, coordinator of Dawson College’s First People’s Center, said that even with the amendment, the bill represents a “strengthened barrier” for students who are currently struggling.
“Forming this new amendment as a compromise is not true, because they will still require students to take an additional three courses,” she said.
Tiawenti: non Canadian, who is coordinator at Dawson College’s First People’s Center, said Bill 96 and requiring CEGEP English students to take more French lessons would have a negative effect on the morale of Indigenous students. (Dave St. Amant / CBC)
She is concerned about indigenous students entering CEGEP without sufficient French language training.
Many of them have to take several non-accredited French language courses to prepare for those that will affect their R-score – a grading system used for university admission.
“They may lose sight of the bigger picture and decide that switching to French is too big a barrier for them to achieve their goals,” she said.
“I don’t think they’re trying to keep the countryside hospitable to the people who were originally here.”
Catherine Koraakis, president of the Association of English Parents in Quebec, said she was overwhelmed by the hundreds of emails a day she receives from students concerned about the bill, which affects their admission to university.
“Students [are] saying… “I can pass [French] Sure, but I’m not sure I’m going to get 90 or 95, “she said.” When you’re trying to get into competing programs, that’s what you’re looking for … “
She says the government should consult with experts on the subject and the wider English-speaking and Francophone communities.
“This is the future of the people, this is the careers of the people,” she said. “This is not the time to play politics with our children, and it sounds like that again.
In the coming days, the new amendment will be introduced in the National Assembly, which specifies that the mandatory classes in French will have to amount to 45 hours and that the grades will be taken into account in the R-score of students.
“Our goal has always remained the same: to allow French to regain its rightful place in Quebec and to give Quebecers, regardless of their mother tongue, all the tools to prosper and fully participate in Quebec society,” the statement said. of the Cabinet of the Minister. on Tuesday night.
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