Quebec adding more climate change to science curriculum in schools

A student is seen working in a classroom in this file photo. (CTV News Toronto)

The science and technology course offered in Quebec primary and secondary schools will be revamped as of 2026, Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced Friday.

It will be updated to "make students more aware of current issues" such as climate change, the minister explained in a press release.

The course revision will take place gradually; the ministry must first roll out the new Culture et citoyenneté québécoise course in the fall of 2024.

It's also busy revising the French as a language of instruction program for fall 2025.

At the elementary level, the new science and technology course will be introduced on an optional basis in 2026-2027 and on a compulsory basis in fall 2027.

At the secondary level, it will be updated and implemented optionally in 2028-2029 and compulsorily in the fall of 2029.

Drainville announced his plan Friday morning at the annual convention of Quebec's science and technology education association (AETQ).

Since the science and technology course in Quebec was developed some 20 years ago, it's "necessary for our young people to have access to more up-to-date concepts," said Drainville in a press release.

"These changes will contribute in particular to raising awareness of the issues of climate change," he said, also mentioning the "accelerated development of new technologies."

START WITH SECONDARY SCHOOL: AESTQ

The minister's announcement was well received by members of the AESTQ, who have been campaigning for several months for the school curriculum to be greener.

But in a telephone interview, the general director of the AESTQ, Camille Turcotte, called for changes to the minister's implementation schedule.

She said the natural science program has recently been revised at the college level; secondary school students should therefore be prioritized to prepare students for the next step.

"That's where we think it's an emergency. We should start at that level, then we will go down to elementary school," said Turcotte.

She also believes that science courses in secondary 4 and 5, already "very busy," will have to be pruned.

Last April, a secondary 5 student, Marie Maltais, published an open letter with the AESTQ in which she demanded that biodiversity, ocean health and air quality be addressed at school.

She reported that 60 per cent of high school students surveyed by the Environmental Issues Education Committee think that schools should offer more education relating to the environment.

"My dream is that each student finishes secondary 5 with a sufficiently strong scientific culture to be an active and well-informed citizen," added Turcotte on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 20, 2023.