Quebec’s teachers and finance community are facing off over a proposed mandatory high school course backed by Education Minister Sebastien Proulx.
The personal finance class would be mandatory in all secondary schools beginning in September but teachers’ unions are calling for the deployment to be suspended.
The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers believed the course does not correspond to “the philosophy of education,” according to President Sebastien Joly. He said the class is the brainchild of financial groups and bankers and offers only a liberal view of the economy.
Sylvain Mallette, president of the Autonomous Federation of Education, also criticized the program, saying it was concocted by banks.
The stated goal of the course is to equip students in their final year of high school with knowledge of consumer rights, regulations and the principle of supply and demand. The curriculum would also include lessons on taxes and interest rates, how to manage a credit card and information on leases and cellular phone contracts.
