Quebec's English private schools say the government needs to rethink Bill 103 because the proposed legislation would actually limit their ability to teach French.
Katherine Nikidis, headmaster at Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's, and Jonathan Goldbloom of the Quebec Association of Independent Schools, travelled to Quebec City together to point out their concerns about the bill.
"I think that that was shocking to them," said Nikidis.
"I don't think that they realized that the regulations penalized schools for teaching French. I think that they were stunned and even (PQ language critic) Mr. (Pierre) Curzi admitted that's out of step with Quebec reality," added Goldbloom.
Bill 103 would allow students without certificates of eligibility to transfer from English private schools to an English public school after three years. Access would be provided on a case-by-case basis, related to a points system.
At Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's, an English private school for girls, the entire curriculum from kindergarten to grade two is in French.
But Nikidis told CTV Montreal reporter Caroline van Vlaardingen that Bill 103 would be detrimental to that curriculum, because it would restrict the amount of French taught at the elementary level in English private schools.
"We feel that we should be able to teach as much French as we want," said Nikidis. "To tell us that we have to teach less French to be part of this regulation is frustrating to us."
Nikidis also argued that the proposed legislation is much too complicated.
"It's a very complex point system. There isn't equality all the way from kindergarten to grade 11."
Bloom echoed those sentiments.
"The point system, as it stands, gives too much discretionary power to the bureaucrat," he said.
