Quebec education minister wants to improve students' command of French
To improve French proficiency among elementary and high school students, Education Minister Bernard Drainville is proposing, among other things, daily writing exercises.
The pass rate for the Secondary 5 written exam has dropped from 79 per cent in 2019 to 69 per cent in 2022. Only 48 per cent of students achieved a passing grade on the grammar and spelling criterion.
This "decline cannot continue," said Mr. Drainville at a press conference in Quebec City on Monday.
He unveiled the "orientations" he will give to a group of experts tasked with reviewing French programs between now and 2025. Among other things, he will ask them to give their opinion on the benefits for children of daily writing exercises.
The minister also wants teachers of all subjects to pay attention to the French mistakes made in assignments and exams, and to give students feedback on the quality of their French.
He gave the example of a history teacher who might decide not to correct a paper full of spelling mistakes.
The Ministry of Education will identify the most frequent errors made by students in French tests, and share this picture with teachers, to enable them to better target the actions to be put in place.
Drainville also promised to add French-language pedagogical advisers to schools, who will "support and accompany" teachers who teach other subjects.
At the moment, however, Quebec is struggling to find enough qualified teachers to teach in the classroom: "It's a huge challenge," Drainville admitted.
He also said he wanted to integrate more of Quebec's culture into the teaching of French.
"We can't afford to watch results plummet ... We need a turnaround. Everyone has to pitch in," he said.
"French teachers need more support. We have to help them and all the other teachers because the quality of French at school has to become a matter for the whole school team," he added.
For the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), this is a series of "intentions" and "orientations."
"We want to be part of the discussion at every stage of the process," said CSQ President Éric Gingras in a press release.
"It's society as a whole that must mobilize to protect and preserve the French language," he added.
Québec solidaire (QS) education spokesperson Ruba Ghazal also welcomed the minister's willingness to review French programs.
"Despite these good intentions, the minister must not forget that if we want to improve the teaching of French in our classrooms, we must act against the shortage of staff in the network," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.