MONTREAL - For decades, enrolment at English-language public schools in Quebec have been dropping. Since 1985, the number of English students has dropped drastically, by more than 50 per cent.

Now, in its latest campaign to try to turn things around, the Quebec English School Boards Association has enlisted the help of a local hip-hop artist with a knack for creating viral videos.

Annakin Slayd was recruited to promote the message that public schools in the English system turn out successful, bilingual citizens.

The video features Slayd, himself a product of English school system, joined by choirs, bands, and dancers from various English schools, singing his song 'Go Publique'.

Slayd shot to fame several years ago with his sports anthems Feels Like '93 and Remember, which honour the Canadiens and the Expos.


Open Houses this week

The Go Publique campaign officially launched Monday, a few days before many English schools hold open houses to welcome potential students.

Schools are hoping parents who have the right to send their children to English schools will realize that their system graduates thousands of successful, fully bilingual students every year.

"I think it's important. We want to be on their shopping list," said Debbie Horrocks, president of the QEBSA.

"The bilingual education is what a lot of parents are looking for these days, and our English schools do a wonderful job."

Many younger parents are choosing to stay in Quebec, and Horrocks thinks a music video is the right way to reach parents in their twenties and thirties.

"We wanted to use a medium they are comfortable with, which is social media, Facebook, twitter," said Horrocks.

Enrolment in Quebec's English schools has plummeted in the past 25 years, going from 250,000 students less than 125,000 children.

Much of that drop is because the anglophone community in Quebec has shrunk, but the QEBSA says about 15,000 eligible children attend private schools, or go to French schools instead.