MONTREAL—With the importance of Quebec’s private schools having grown over the past decade, the Parti Quebecois says it’s now time to re-examine if private schools are carrying their own weight.
On Friday, PQ Education Minister Marie Malavoy said that her department would look into whether private schools should be less selective and take on more students with learning difficulties.
The label of “private,” can be misleading in Quebec, with the province footing 60 per cent of a private institution’s total bill.
At Queen of Angels Academy in Dorval, an entrance exam isn't the only tool used to screen students. Administrators also look at grades and conduct interviews.
“Does that mean we loop off the top 10 per cent and take it? No it doesn't. It means we have a range of students here,” said Queen of Angels principal Mary Reynolds.
The principal at Notre-Dame-de-Grace’s Loyola High School said that there's a misconception that private schools take only the best.
“The criteria partly looks at how students perform academically, but really we've had kids who have learning difficulties for many years and run little programs to help them deal with those issues,” said Loyola High School principal Paul Donovan.
In fact, there is a pilot project that's new this year.
“What we're looking at more particularly is those things that are diagnosed issues like dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD; things of that nature. We try to look at programs that could match and work well with those students,” said Donovan.
If the minister wants to reopen the funding of private schools, the Quebec Association of Independent Schools says they're ready to talk.
“If we're looking at increasing the number of children in our schools that have challenges, let's look at what resources are required to properly support that child to be successful,” said Michel LaFrance, from the Quebec Association of Independent Schools.
If all public funding stops, parents would need to foot the bill or go public
“It's a huge cost to parents and I’m not sure what exactly the impact would be, but for sure there would be one,” said Reynolds.
No parent CTV Montreal spoke to wants the current system to change. The education ministry says discussions on the issue will be held very soon.