Teen weeks after they first walked out of class over tuition hikes, Education Minister Line Beauchamp reached out to students Sunday.
Beauchamp said she is now ready to discuss with the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec the idea of creating a permanent independent commission overseeing the management of universities and how funds are handled.
Beauchamp said, however, that the government intends to go ahead with the tuition hike.
The minister was reacting to a proposal adopted over the weekend by members of FEUQ to establish an independent commission on university management.
The minister did not invite members of other student protests to join in the discussion.
The announcement came late Sunday after yet another day of protests by students.
In the latest event, high school students joined in the fight to keep tuition rates frozen. Protesters say they are fighting for the rights of students who on April 2 voted to continue their boycott of classes as a way of pressuring the provincial government to rescind its planned university tuition hike of $1,625 by 2017.
"High school students are sometimes ignored in public debates like this one, and for once we want to show that we know what is going on," said organizer Alexandre Petitcles.
Students at another Montreal gathering said an independent Quebec wouldn't be struggling over tuition fees.
"If we were independent, Quebec could choose its priorities much more freely," said Maxime Laporte of Cap sur l'independance.
With files from La Presse Canadienne
