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
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.