ministèr © gouvernement du québec - education.gouv.qc.ca · milieu and local communities—to...

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For some time now, a change has been under way: more and more people are

seeing the issue of citizenship in Québec in a new and modern light. The new

outlook is that of ZERO EXCLUSION, and its ideal is for each and every citizen to

be able to participate fully in the development of Québec society.

A School for the Future, the policy statement we are presenting today, salutes the

efforts that Québec schools are already making to ensure the success of all students, in

both the youth and adult sectors. At the same time, the proposal calls on us to adopt a

broader perspective on integration and intercultural education, affirming our desire to

live together, sharing common values and developing our sense of belonging in Québec

society. In this sense, the proposal urges everyone—parents, families, the educational

milieu and local communities—to join with us in striving to fully realize the promise of

Québec’s diversity.

This policy statement represents a new step towards a more inclusive society. We are

pleased to present a plan that involves education in a collective effort of society as a

whole.

André Boisclair

Minister of Relations with Citizens and of Immigration

Pauline Marois

Minister of Education

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T his policy statement follows up on the intentions expressed by Education MinisterPauline Marois in A New Direction for Success: Ministerial Plan of Action for theReform of the Education System in the fall of 1996. It indicates the major approaches

that the educational community * should adopt in its efforts to integrate immigrantstudents and prepare the whole student population to participate in social interactionin a democratic, Francophone, pluralistic Québec.

The policy statement thus reflects the outlook of the report to UNESCO by theInternational Commission on Education in the Twenty-first Century, Learning: TheTreasure Within (1996), which underscores the importance of teaching students howto live well together. This new learning focus involves not only respecting each other’sdifferences, but also sharing the same social values, which are part of our history andhave become the basis of our institutions. Intercultural education and citizenshipeducation are thus two inseparable dimensions of this policy.

The need for a policy on educational integration and intercultural education wasrecognized by the Commission for the Estates General on Education (1995-96), whosefinal report, observing the numerous but scattered efforts made within the educationalmilieu, called for a set of guidelines that would define the responsibilities of the educationsystem regarding integration and intercultural education.

In this spirit, Education Minister Pauline Marois mandated an interministerial workgroup to draft a consultation document. In addition to representatives from theMinistère de l’Éducation, this group included members delegated by the Ministère desRelations avec les citoyens et de l’Immigration, the Ministère de la Métropole and thecity of Montréal. The work group also received input from an advisory committee ofeducation specialists who work either in teacher training or with young people and adultimmigrants or persons of immigrant parentage, and who are all involved in the issue ofpluralism in education. We wish to thank all those who contributed to the developmentof the policy statement.

In addition, we extend our thanks to all those who participated in the consultationsin Montréal, Québec, Longueuil, Sherbrooke, Hull and Sainte-Thérèse: school boardadministrators, teachers, administrators of educational institutions, non-teachingprofessionals, parents, representatives of teachers’ unions, leaders of national organizationsrelated to education, teacher training professors, representatives of intercultural

FOREWORD

* “An educational community is a school that mobilizes all its stakeholders, both within the school proper and in thesurrounding community, and relies on sharing and good relations to carry out its educational mission.” (Conseilsupérieur de l’éducation. L’école, une communauté éducative. Voies de renouvellement pour le secondaire. Ste-Foy:Conseil supérieur de l’éducation, 1998.) Free translation.

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education and multiethnic organizations, and so on. Their suggestions and commentshave helped improve the policy statement on Educational Integration and InterculturalEducation.

The policy on the educational integration of newly arrived students and on interculturaleducation is addressed to preschool, elementary- and secondary-school personnel in allregions of Québec, in the public and private, Francophone and Anglophone, youth andadult sectors, and in the regular and continuing education sectors at the college level.The universities are also concerned, insofar as they are responsible for teacher training.

The document has four chapters. The first chapter describes the diversity of the studentpopulation and the general context in which the policy will be applied. The second chapterdeals with the principles on which Québec schools should base their accommodation ofethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity.

The third chapter presents an overview of the tasks facing the school system asregards educational integration and intercultural education. Although efforts to achievethese ends have made considerable headway in certain areas, problems remain. Thefourth and final chapter presents guidelines for educational institutions on issues suchas the responsibility of school staff for integrating students who are new to Québec, thelearning, mastery and use of French, fostering a knowledge of Québec’s heritage andacceptance of its shared values, taking ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversityinto account in the curriculum, the training of school staff, and so on. The conclusionunderlines the need for this policy to be actively supported by all members of theeducation community.

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INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

CHAPTER 1 – THE DIVERSITY OF THE STUDENT POPULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

• The Situation in Montréal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3• Allophones outside the Island of Montréal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4• Anglophone Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4• Common Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

CHAPTER 2 – PRINCIPLES FOR ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

• Equal Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6• Proficiency in French, the Language of Public Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7• Education for Citizenship in a Democratic, Pluralistic Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

CHAPTER 3 – OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

• Success in School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9- Students in the youth sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9- Students in the adult sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10- Students at the college level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

• Helping Students Achieve Greater Proficiency in French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11- Students in the youth sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11- Students in the adult sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11- Students at the college level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

• Intercultural Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12- In the present curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12- In school life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13- Among the school staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14- In the educational institution’s relations with

the family and the community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

• Training of School Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

CHAPTER 4 – GUIDELINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

• Educational Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171. Integrating students who are new to Québec

is the joint responsibility of all school staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

2. Recent immigrants with difficulty integrating into school need fast, effective help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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3. Educational institutions, families and the community must work together to promote educational integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

• Intercultural Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214. Learning French must be seen as an ongoing process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

5. French, the language of public life and vehicle of Québec’s cultural life, must be presented in a positive light by the educational community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

6. The curriculum and school life must both reflect the heritage and shared values of Québec and be open to ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

- Courses and programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24- School life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

7. School staff must be trained to meet the educational challenges associated with Québec’s ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

8. The ethnic and cultural diversity of Québec society should be reflected in all categories of school staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

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T he phenomenon of ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity characterizesthe education systems of many industrialized societies today. In Québec, aselsewhere in Canada and the world, educational institutions must now find ways to

accommodate this diversity in their educational practices and objectives. To help them,the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec has developed a policy statement setting out itsprinciples and offering guidelines regarding the integration of immigrant students intoQuébec educational institutions 1 and society and the intercultural education of thewhole student population.

Integration–the first dimension of the policy–may be defined as a long-term multidi-mensional adaptation process, which is distinct from assimilation, the overall adoptionof the host society’s culture and fusion with the majority group. The process of integration,which involves accepting elements of the immigrants’ cultural identity of origin and inwhich the achievement of proficiency in the language of the host society plays an essentialrole, is only complete when the immigrants or their descendants participate fully in allaspects of the community life of the host society and feel a sense of belonging in thatsociety.

This means that when immigrants first enter the Québec school system, they are onlyat the beginning of their integration process. For example, young non-Francophonestudents have to acquire a certain proficiency in French, which is the language ofinstruction and of public life, in order to master the subjects taught in school (linguistic andacademic integration) and must also assimilate the social codes in order to establishmeaningful relations with their classmates and participate in the life of the community(social integration). In addition, it takes time before students from other countriesdevelop a feeling of belonging in Québec society. This happens gradually, and depends inlarge part on the acceptance of immigrants as full members of the host society.

It is important to recognize that integration is a two-way street. Certainly it requiresthat the immigrants make efforts to adapt and to adopt the shared values 2 of the hostsociety, but it also demands openness to diversity and the application of appropriatepolicies by the social and educational milieu that receives them. The specificity of the

INTRODUCTION

1.In this policy statement, unless otherwise indicated, the term “educational institutions” includes colleges, vocationaleducation centres and adult education centres. The terms “school system,” “school staff or personnel” and “students orstudent population” are also used in the general sense. “Student” refers to anyone enrolled in courses at the elementaryor secondary level (youth or adult sector) or at the college level (regular or continuing education sector). For the sakeof concision, children enrolled in preschool education are also referred to as “students.”

2.Shared values are those that underlie our democratic system and, in particular, our charters of rights and institutions:values relating to social justice, such as non-discrimination and fairness; legislation, such as respect for others, equality(especially sexual) and responsibility; and democratic participation, such as negotiation, peaceful conflict resolution,solidarity and information (Task Force on Curriculum Reform. Reaffirming the Mission of Our Schools, Québec: Ministèrede l’Éducation, 1997, p. 33-34).

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school environment and that of the needs of newly arrived students must be mutuallyrecognized. This reciprocal relationship based on respect for obligations on both sides isessential for successful integration.

Intercultural education is the second dimension examined by this policy statement,and it influences the concept of integration just considered. It refers to any educationalmeasure designed to foster awareness of the diversity — notably, ethnocultural diversity —that characterizes the social fabric and to develop skill in communicating with peoplefrom various backgrounds, as well as attitudes of openness, tolerance and solidarity.Using this very broad concept of intercultural education, teachers can also consider theissue of the representation of different ethnic and cultural groups in various spheres ofsociety, including that of education.

The object of intercultural education is not to convey knowledge about cultures –there are already disciplines that do that–but rather to foster a better understanding ofculture in pluralistic societies. This sort of education requires that people take stock oftheir cultural backgrounds and ties and reflect on their socialization in order to overcometheir prejudices concerning “otherness,” in whatever form it presents itself, and so beable to communicate better with people who are different from themselves.

The aim of this policy statement is thus in part to provide guidelines for the integrationof students from other countries, and in part to favour openness to diversity in the schoolsystem and to gain recognition for the idea that diversity is a source of collectiveenrichment. The statement also suggests ways to foster acceptance of the basic valuesof Québec society and whole-hearted participation in the development of a Québec inwhich all can share. In this sense, the objectives of intercultural education overlap withthose objectives in the citizenship education program that bear on diversity andlearning to live together, which means that intercultural education is part of citizenshipeducation. Reflection on how best to integrate immigrants into Québec society isultimately part of the urgent effort today to reaffirm civic norms — rules arrived atdemocratically, which govern collective life — and shared values.

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T h e D i v e r s i t y o f t h e S t u d e n t P o p u l a t i o n

enrolled in the French-language sector in1996-97, compared with about 15 percent in 1980.

The situation in Montréal

The Montréal region receives the greatmajority of allophone immigrant students. In1996-97, 38.3 percent of youth sector studentsin this region reported a mother tongue otherthan French, English or an Aboriginal language,compared with 8.2 percent of students in thewhole of Québec. At the college level, for thesame year, allophone students represented 16.2percent of enrolments in regular classes in theMontréal region and 8.1 percent in Québec overall.Private and public colleges in the Montréalregion account for 94.4 percent of allophoneenrolments at the college level.

In 1996-97, allophones accounted for about athird of the students in the French-languageyouth sector and a quarter of the studentpopulation in the English-language youth sector.It should be noted that allophones in theEnglish-language sector were for the most partborn in Québec and are generally second- orthird-generation Quebecers who claimed alanguage other than English or French as theirmother tongue.

However, these proportions do not accuratelyreflect the diversity of the student populationon the island of Montréal, for some studentswho stated that their mother tongue was eitherFrench or English were born outside of Canadaor have at least one parent born outside Canada.

Ethnocultural and linguistic diversity is notevenly distributed among the school boardson the island of Montréal. The proportion of

T he composition of the student population,which once consisted primarily of FrenchCanadians, English Canadians and

Aboriginals, has changed considerably since theend of the nineteenth century as successivewaves of immigration have brought studentsfrom many ethnic backgrounds and from everycontinent. Until the late 1960s, the great majorityof immigrant students came from Europe andNorth America, while today, most come fromAsia, the West Indies, Africa and South America.

This diversity is also reflected in linguisticterms. More than 150 mother tongues, many ofthem belonging to linguistic families bearinglittle similarity to French, are represented inthe school system. In addition, all the majorreligions are represented.

This ethnocultural, linguistic and religiousdiversity extends throughout the whole schoolsystem, producing a wide variety of situations.Some educational institutions have a largeproportion of immigrant students or studentswhose parents are immigrants, with manydifferent mother tongues and religious back-grounds, while other schools are relativelyhomogenous.

Most allophone students in the youth sectorwho arrived in Québec before the coming intoforce of the Charter of the French Language(1977) chose English-language public schools.Since then the opposite situation has graduallycome to prevail; more than 80 percent of allo-phones attended French-language schools in1996-97. Henceforth, this will be the sector inwhich most, although not all, young recentimmigrants receive their schooling. At thecollege level, 47 percent of allophones were

C H A P T E R 1

THE DIVERSITY OF THE STUDENT POPULATION

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students in the regular sector claimed Englishas their mother tongue in 1996-97. More than85 percent of these students attended CEGEPsin the greater Montréal region.

Common rules

The diversity of the student populationaffects preschool, elementary and secondaryinstitutions in the public sector, which weredivided, for more than a century, into twoconfessional systems, each of which was subdi-vided into two linguistic sectors.3 Diversity alsoexists in private schools, which come under thePrivate Education Act and account for about 10percent of total enrolments at the preschool,elementary and secondary levels, and 8 percentat the college level. There are various types ofschools in the private network: schools accreditedfor subsidy purposes and schools without suchaccreditation, French-language schools, English-language schools, heritage schools, schools thatemphasize religious or cultural instruction. Inaddition to the network’s linguistic diversity(instruction in French or English), schoolsdefined in terms of their religious or culturalidentity may also offer additional instruction ina third language.

Yet notwithstanding the diversity of teachinginstitutions and structures, both public andprivate, and the variable distribution of thestudents, there are common rules. All educationalinstitutions, vocational and adult educationcentres and colleges must conform to the basicschool regulations respecting educational servicesin Québec. Subjects must be taught accordingto programs approved by the Minister ofEducation; educational institutions must observe

allophones varies between slightly under 10percent and over 45 percent, depending on theschool board.

As in the youth sector, the great majority ofimmigrant students in the adult sector attendeducational institutions on the island ofMontréal. In 1995-96, about 80 percent of thesestudents were enrolled in island of Montréaladult education centres or vocational educationcentres. This proportion is comparable to thepercentage of immigrants on the island.

Allophones outside the island of Montréal

Although allophones represent a high pro-portion of the student population on the islandof Montréal, there are allophone students inalmost every school board and in many collegesin Québec. Their distribution outside ofMontréal is even more uneven: the cities ofQuébec, Sherbrooke and Hull and towns on theNorth Shore and South Shore of Montréal havethe main concentrations. Outside these areas,there are very few allophone students.

Anglophone students

In 1996-97, students declaring English astheir mother tongue represented 8.3 percent ofenrolments in the youth sector (private andpublic). They were present in all regions ofQuébec, but more than half attended schools onthe island of Montréal, and more than threequarters went to schools within the greaterMontréal region. In Québec as a whole, in theyouth sector, nearly one Anglophone in five wasenrolled in the French-language sector in1996-97. At the college level, 7.4 percent of

3.Since July 1, 1998, Québec’s schools have been organized on alinguistic basis. This means that school boards have lost theirconfessional character, but not schools. The dispositions of the

Education Act concerning the confessionnality of schools willremain unchanged until the government has ruled on thisquestion.

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the rules respecting admission, enrolment,attendance and the passage from one level ofeducation to another, propose a school calendarand respect the prescribed periods of instruction,follow the rules for evaluation of learning,certification of studies and graduation, andhire only teachers with teaching certificatesfor compulsory instruction at the preschool,elementary and secondary levels. At the collegelevel, only teachers whose professional compe-tency and pedagogical aptitudes have beenrecognized may be hired for compulsoryinstruction.

Although students in the education systemcome from many backgrounds, speak differentlanguages and hold various religious beliefs,they must master the elements of a commonframework of learning and acquire a commonset of values (see note 2, p. 1). This policy state-ment will focus on these objectives.

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P r i n c i p l e s f o r A c t i o n

The schools have an obligation to fulfill theirmission with all students, whatever their charac-teristics (ethnic origin, mother tongue, socialcondition, sex, religion, etc.). This obligationfollows from the principle of equal opportunityfor all, which has been recognized in Québecsince the Royal Commission of Inquiry onEducation (the Parent Commission) and thedemocratization of the province’s educationsystem in the 1960s. The same principle wasreaffirmed by virtually all participants in theEstates General on Education (1995-96).

The educational institutions’ organizationand educational activities should strive toeducate students, as individuals and as (actualor future) citizens, under conditions of equalopportunity. This means maximizing students’chances to discover their particular aptitudesand tastes and the means to develop theirpotential, and offering them the possibility ofcontinuing their education in various ways andsettings throughout their lives.

Equal opportunity implies not only ensuringthat all students have access to the basiceducational services, but also providing specialconditions or compensatory measures (forexample, help learning French) if studentsrequire them. This is consistent with theprinciples of equity and non-discriminationand of accepting and respecting otherness andrejecting intolerance, ethnocentrism and allother expressions of discrimination. To applythis principle, schools have to recognize studentsfor who they are, with their similarities and

T he principles for action proposed here forQuébec schools4 dealing with ethnocultural,linguistic and religious diversity are

derived from the basic principles of educationitself and from government policy statementsconcerning the integration of immigrants intoQuébec society. These principles, which areshared and supported by all schools, are: equalopportunity for all; proficiency in French, theshared language of public life; and educationfor active citizenship in a pluralistic and demo-cratic society.

Equal opportunity

The role that schools play, and must continueto play, in promoting equal opportunity for allis closely related to their vocation itself,which concerns instruction, socialization andcertification.

Instruction is defined as guided learning thatpermits students to acquire the knowledge,skills and attitudes they need in order tounderstand and transform the world and tocontinue to learn throughout their lives.Schools socialize by transmitting the basic valuesof our democratic society and respect for itsinstitutions, while at the same time encouragingstudents to explore and choose their values.Schools help students qualify for various occu-pations by taking into account the needs of thejob market as well as the students’ interestsand aptitudes, and providing the training andupgrading needed to exercise a given occupation.

C H A P T E R 2

PRINCIPLES FOR ACTION

4.The term “Québec schools” is used in this chapter in a genericsense to refer to institutions of learning, including those foryoung people and adults, in the French- and English-languagesectors, and the public and private schools. Thus this term

includes vocational education centres, adult education centresand colleges, which are recognized as autonomous educationalinstitutions that come under higher education.

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education aims to make these values an integralpart of a society characterized by democratictraditions and institutions, respect for individualrights and a commitment to live together inmutual respect for individual and groupdifferences.

Schools have a responsibility to promotecitizenship education in order to preparestudents, both young and adult, to play anactive role in Québec democracy by adoptingits values, codes and norms, knowing its keyinstitutions, and exercising the rights andresponsibilities of citizens in a democraticsociety. Citizenship education focusses on bothknowledge and experience, and is grounded notonly in the curriculum but also in democraticpractices, in the schools and outside them. In thissense it extends into the life of the immediatecommunity and more generally into social,economic and cultural life.

Citizenship education concerns both diversity(in terms of family background, religious orcultural identity, fields of interest and so on)and the shared values and democratic institu-tions that make it possible for people to livetogether. From this perspective, the recognitionof diversity is itself one of our shared values.

The schools have an obligation to attunetheir students to diversity and to prepare themto live in a pluralistic society that is broaderthan their families or neighbourhoods, and tohelp them appreciate its richness and be awareof the challenges it poses, the better to overcomethem. With the proper skills, students should beable to understand the relationship betweendiversity and unity, the particular and theuniversal, identity and difference, to expandthe boundaries of the familiar and open up tothe world.

Certainly the schools already help theirstudents accept diversity and develop attitudes

differences, their shared and particular charac-teristics. By accepting that ethnocultural,linguistic and religious diversity have a right toexist, schools can bolster students’ self-esteemand sense of belonging to Québec society, what-ever their ethnic and cultural origin.

Proficiency in French, the language of public life

The school is the main, although not thesole, institution, responsible for ensuring thatstudents learn and use French, the language ofpublic life, with which Quebecers of all origins cancommunicate and participate in the developmentof Québec society. Educational institutionsshould be capable of turning out students whoare proficient in the use of this basic tool ofcommunication, whether French is their mothertongue, as it is for the majority, their secondlanguage, as it is for Anglophones and someallophones, or their third language, as it is forcertain children of immigrants, who generallydo not speak it at all on their arrival.

The education system should take theappropriate measures to fulfill this expectationby providing students in French-language insti-tutions with a solid grounding in the languageof instruction and giving students in English-language institutions quality instruction in thesecond language. Acquiring proficiency in Frenchand using it can help students from other back-grounds surmount their marginalization anddevelop a sense of membership and participationin Québec society.

Education for citizenship in a democratic, pluralistic society

Seeking and promoting shared valuescontributes to the development and consoli-dation of a democratic society that accepts allits members as full participants. Citizenship

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of openness to the world by means of the knowl-edge they transmit. This learning is the fruit ofmany generations and cultures, which havecommingled over time and space. If the learningthe students assimilate no longer bears an ethnictag, if it transcends its place and culture of origin,that is because it has become a part of thehuman heritage. Schools can reconstitute theorigin of various domains of learning by placingtheir development in historical context. Inthis way, in addition to discovering their roots,students can become aware of the perpetualprocess of borrowing and lending that nourishesall cultural progress. What the students learnabout the constitution of cultural heritages ingeneral is transferable to the concept of Québec’sparticular cultural heritage: it too is an originalcreation incorporating many sources andinfluences, and is still developing.

Québec’s present diversity cannot be ascribedentirely to immigration, although the latter hasplayed a major role by introducing new culturalor religious currents or accentuating theirpresence. Factors related to the internal evolutionof Québec society, notably the Quiet Revolution,also help explain why it is necessary to learn tolive in a pluralistic society in which the normsof social cohesion are changing.

Social cohesion is not a juxtaposition of manydisparate elements, but the reflection of thesuccessful integration of shared characteristics.In this connection, schools are responsible foreducating their students in the norms, values andcodes that sustain a democratic communityimbued with a spirit of openness but resolvedto transcend particularisms when this is thecondition for endowing the collectivity with acommon language and shared instruments ofeveryday life and emancipation.

9

O v e r v i e w o f t h e S i t u a t i o n

It may be presumed that there are a numberof factors underlying these difficulties, such aspoor or inadequate educational conditions priorto immigration, poor mastery of the language ofinstruction, a disadvantaged social and economicmilieu, administrative underevaluation of thesestudents’ needs, inadequate parental support,vestiges of prejudices among school staff(which can result in lowered expectations forthese students), and lack of skill in dealingwith a diverse student body. To date, however,the respective weight of each of these factorsremains unknown, and no overall plan has beenelaborated to deal with the situation.

There is no concrete evidence that ethnicconcentration (the presence of a high proportionof students receiving instruction in a languageother than their mother tongue) favours orimpedes success in school. A review of thesituation in Montréal schools reveals that thesuccess rate is higher when ethnic concentrationis low, declines when it is average and increaseswhen it is very high. It is possible that socioe-conomic status and parents’ educational levelwould go further to explain the various patternsof performance among immigrant students.

It has been noted that, independent of theirlinguistic group, non-Francophone immigrantstudents who arrive in the French-languageschool system at adolescence have problems inschool. Six years after entering reception andfrancization services, an overwhelming majorityof these students have repeated two or moreyears, and only one in three obtains a secondaryschool diploma.

At the time of their arrival in Québec, someallophone students are already three or more

I n a number of areas, measures have beentaken to favour the integration of studentsfrom outside of Canada into Québec’s school

system, in either the youth or adult sector, andto foster openness to ethnocultural, linguisticand religious diversity. The results have beenencouraging in several respects. However, certainproblems persist and others have emerged morerecently. This chapter presents an overview ofthe situation in the light of the principlespresented previously, and highlights certain areasin which intervention is urgent. The question ofthe training of school staff is considered at theend of the chapter.

Success in school

Students in the youth sector

Taking all sectors together, the performanceof allophone students (including immigrantsand Québec-born second- and third-generationdescendants of immigrants) is comparable tothat of students whose mother tongue is Frenchor English. Marks on the uniform secondaryschool examinations are very similar and so aresuccess rates for the two groups. In certainsubjects, the allophones have slightly highermarks than the Francophones.

It is also known that allophones do slightlybetter in school in the Montréal region thanoutside it, and that they are not over-representedamong handicapped students or students withadjustment or learning difficulties. The break-down of the marks of allophones by linguisticgroup shows, however, that certain groupsexperience difficulties and have marks well belowthe level of the student population as a whole.

C H A P T E R 3

OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION

10


their children to learn a trade or opt for voca-tional education.

Students in the adult sector

Adult immigrants, who are not obliged toattend school, and whose choice of whichschools to attend is not limited by the Charterof the French Language, make extensive use ofeducational services in both French and Englishin the adult education sector. They enrol morein general education (francization, literacy,Secondary Cycle One and Two, etc.) than invocational education. The rate of successobserved among allophone immigrants invocational education is similar to that ofFrancophone or Anglophone immigrants and ofstudents born in Canada. Allophone studentsare concerned about obtaining recognition fortheir scholastic and experiential learning.

Students at the college level

About 57 percent of allophones enrolled incollege-level institutions are in the pre-universitysector, compared with 49 percent for the collegestudent population as a whole. However, since1994, the proportion of allophones in the pre-university sector has declined slightly in favourof the technical sector.

The overall graduation rate of allophonestudents is comparable to that of students whosemother tongue is French. However, that ratevaries considerably from one linguistic group toanother. Further research is needed in order tounderstand these variations in educationalsuccess and apply corrective measures.

years behind in their studies relative to Québecnorms, and must be viewed as students withdifficulty integrating into school. Some of thesestudents have attended school very little or notat all, some have experienced interruptions intheir school attendance in their home countries,some have been exposed to fundamentallydifferent sorts of education than that recog-nized in Québec, and some simply have learningdifficulties.

Action-research projects designed to familiar-ize students at the elementary and secondarylevels with the culture of the written word havetested approaches adapted to their needs.However, the problem remains formidable, andthe question of how to ensure the education ofthese students was a major preoccupation in allthe schools concerned. As certain linguistic groupsare over-represented among these students, theidentification of learning difficulties among themis often touchy.

Other immigrant students who enter theQuébec school system during secondary schoolmay not obtain their secondary school diploma inthe youth sector, in which case they are obligedto continue in the adult sector. Students overthe age of 18 are not allowed to continue theirstudies in the youth sector unless they willobtain their diploma before the age of 19. Thusafter a year or two in the youth sector, theseimmigrant students must switch to the adultsector. This change is unsettling and necessitatesfurther adaptation, while the students in questionare no more likely to obtain their diploma thanthey were in the youth sector.

It has also been observed that few of thesestudents enter the vocational sector, for lack ofeither interest or information or because theyhave not acquired sufficient command of thelanguage of instruction. This sector is oftenundervalued, and some parents do not encourage

11


sociolinguistic factors in students’ communityof origin. In short, compared with other factors,attending a school with a strong ethnic concen-tration has relatively little effect on a student’slinguistic integration.

The third observation has to do with theparticular difficulties experienced by non-Francophone immigrants who enter the Québecschool system after beginning their schoolingelsewhere. Their problems may in part beattributable to their poor command of thelanguage of instruction. This hypothesis issupported by the current trend in the schoolsto prolong immigrant students’ period in wel-coming classes.

However, spending more time in welcomingclasses will not necessarily lead to greaterproficiency in French, the language of instruction,as long as the students do not have to functionin ordinary classroom situations. What has to bedone now is not to count exclusively on intensivelanguage-learning services, but to deploy severalstrategies concurrently.

For about thirty years, students in theEnglish sector have had access to immersionprograms that allow them to greatly improvetheir French. These programs are effective, andtheir implementation reflects a desire to masterthe common public language.

Nonetheless it has been observed that somestudents in the English sector, whether they areAnglophones or allophones, believe that theirFrench is too poor to enable them to attend aFrench-language school or obtain skilledemployment in which they would have to speakor write in French.

Students in the adult sector

In the French-language adult educationsector, the francization services are supposed

Helping students achieve greater proficiency in French

Students in the youth sector

Immigrant students or students whose parentsare immigrants, who are obliged to pursue theireducation in French, generally have average togood marks, as noted earlier. This indicatesthat they can function adequately in French.

However, three observations should bemade. First, the ability demonstrated by theseallophone students to study in French in elemen-tary and secondary school, when they are obligedto do so, does not indicate that they will continuetheir education in the same language. On thecontrary, the Ministère de l’Éducation’s dataindicate that the tendency of allophone studentswho have obtained their secondary-schooldiploma in the French sector to transfer toEnglish-language college institutions hasincreased in the last few years, although theirrepresentation in English colleges is still lesspronounced than it was before the coming intoforce of the Charter of the French Language. Itis unclear whether this trend is temporary andwhether it reflects an influx of particular typesof immigrants in a particular period of time,such as immigrants from English-speakingcountries.

The second observation concerns allophonestudents who are immigrants or have a parentwho is an immigrant, and who attend schoolswith a high ethnic concentration. This phenom-enon has a slight negative effect on students’“aptitude for French,” a concept that refers totheir tendency to speak French with theirfriends and other students, to have a favourableopinion of the French language, to aspire to dotheir post-secondary studies in French and touse electronic media in French. Ethnic concen-tration has far less impact than the prevailing

12


Further research is called for to identifyways to deal with this problem. The languageproblems experienced by these students can affecttheir school performance and compromise theirequality of opportunity.

Intercultural education

In the present curriculum

The educational institutions already helpfamiliarize students with the basic principlesof a democratic society and the related notionof individual rights and responsibilities.Considerable efforts have also been made todevelop teaching materials that take intoaccount the ethnocultural, linguistic and religiousdiversity of our society. A procedure has beendeveloped for examining these materials toensure that they contain no stereotypes andthat they present diversity in a positive light. Inaddition, certain programs, such as the Historyof Québec and Canada program, deal with theissue of ethnocultural and religious diversity toa certain extent, while the Heritage LanguagesProgram (HLP), which was set up in 1978, givesthese languages a certain real and symboliclegitimacy within the education system.

However, there is at present no citizenshipeducation course to encourage students toparticipate actively in the community and helpthem develop a civic spirit that is attuned to apluralistic society. The programs that treat thisquestion do not cover it adequately. The focuson diversity is limited, and has not been gener-alized within the curriculum. The result is thatstudents from other cultures have difficultyrecognizing themselves in certain learningcontent, which may have a negative effect ontheir sense of belonging.

On the other hand, these students are notgiven adequate access to information on

to enable non-Francophones to acquire basicskills in oral and written French. However,there is no specific linguistic support (classesto help students go beyond the basic skills andbecome proficienct enough to study in French)available to these adult students. Althoughthese courses, including those given by theCOFIs (Centres d’orientation et de formationdes immigrants—Immigrant orientation andeducation centres), do introduce immigrants toFrench as the language of daily life, they oftencannot teach enough French to enable immigrantsto exercise trades or professions or attend school,especially at the college or university level.

On the other hand, most adult allophoneswho enrol in general education in the Englishsector have only the French as a second languagecourse, which can hardly allow them to masterFrench and seek work in it.

Students at the college level

Data on the performance of allophone studentsin the Preparation for College French courses,the two compulsory French courses in the coreblock, and the French exit test at the conclusionof their college studies indicate that allophonesperform less well than the students as a whole.This is especially the case of students belongingto certain linguistic groups.

In addition, there is no intermediate levelwhere students who have learned introductoryFrench in a COFI can reach the level of masterythey need to attend college in French. That is notthe mission of the COFIs. This is a real problemfor adult non-Francophone immigrants wishingto pursue their studies at the college level.Many, in both the regular sector and continuingeducation, lack the advanced language skillsnecessary, for example, to argue a philosophicalpoint on a question of ethics or to analyze apoem.

13


a majority, and the social fabric has been trans-formed as a result. The repercussions of thesechanges may be examined from the perspectiveof relations among students, the managementof ethnocultural diversity and the impact of ethnicconcentration on the cultural identity of the hostsociety and its values.

As regards relations among students, there isa certain amount of closed-mindedness andwithdrawal into ethnic identities, some exclu-sionism and some racial or ethnic tension. Inaddition to classroom teaching, extracurricularactivities can help promote community spiritand a sense of solidarity among all the students.These activities involve educating studentsabout intercultural relations, rights and respon-sibilities, international understanding, peaceand the environment. Activities designed togive students experience in the exercise ofdemocracy have been organized in most regionsin order to attune young people to the issue ofrights and responsibilities, notably in studentcouncils. Student-teacher relations do notalways reflect the climate of mutual under-standing that should prevail, although staffmembers in many institutions have made greatefforts to promote openness to diversity andto improve relations within the educationalcommunity. Their contribution to the qualityof school life does not always receive the recog-nition and encouragement it should.

The educational milieu now has a number ofreference documents (decisions of governmentagencies) on the management of ethnocultural,religious and linguistic diversity to help it dealwith the exceptional requests that it receives.However, some school personnel continue tostress the need to acquire greater skill in this typeof management, which is often complicated.Along similar lines, the introduction of a codeof conduct that would take into account thediversity of the student population and respect

Québec’s heritage, history, values and customs.They have little sense of the direction in whichQuébec society is evolving or of the role theymight play in building and enriching thisheritage. Finally, certain groups presentlyenrolled in the Heritage Languages Programinclude quite a high proportion of second- andthird-generation Quebecers. The “language oforigin” in which certain of these students takecourses within this program is no longer thelanguage they use at home, which means that inthese cases, the HLP is acting more as an agentof cultural renewal, than as a program allowingpeople to maintain their languages of originwhile they integrate into Québec society.

In current college-level curricula, interculturaleducation is not a major focus, even in the socialsciences. This is also the case regarding humanrights education, which is not offered in anycurriculum. However, it should be noted thatsome professors, often on their own initiative,organize their courses to include elementspertaining to these areas.

Although technical and vocational educationprograms are regularly updated so that theyreflect real work situations, interculturalquestions have so far not received much consid-eration. Only one program, police technology,includes a competency in working with anethnically diverse population. Efforts are beingmade to ensure that this aspect will be takeninto account in other programs that are currentlybeing updated, such as those in health andsocial, educational and legal services.

In school life

In many parts of the industrialized world, thestudent population of educational institutionsin large urban centres has become increasinglymultiethnic over the last twenty-odd years.Often, the host population no longer constitutes

14


school teaching. Several factors discourage them,including their image of the sector, the inherentdifficulty involved in mastering the language ofinstruction and the obstacle represented by thewritten French test students must take to enteruniversity.

Programs favouring employment equity formembers of the cultural communities in multi-ethnic school boards have not been very effective:the quotas established have not been attainedin most cases. The slow progress in the repre-sentation of ethnocultural diversity is generallyexplained in terms of the difficult economicsituation but that is not the only cause, so it isimportant to consider the matter further inorder to find and apply effective solutions.

Among the public colleges, only 1.4 percentof all staff reports a mother tongue other thanFrench or English. The proportion of teachingstaff that is allophone is slightly higher, at 1.9percent, but the teaching staff is far fromreflecting the ethnic diversity of Québec society.Most of the allophone employees work for collegesin the greater Montréal region.

In the educational institution’s relations with the family and the community

First it should be noted that schools’ relationswith families vary both in multiethnic milieusand in relatively homogenous communities.Relations may be close and dynamic in one schooland otherwise in another. Many factors mayunderlie this variability. It is impossible togeneralize, however, and the tendenciesobserved in the schools may change from oneyear to the next.

Some multiethnic schools have taken measuresto encourage collaboration between school andfamily: allocating extra human resources,adapting procedures for transmitting informa-tion and maintaining contact with the parents,

the basic values of Québec society is a majorconcern in certain schools.

The educational institution’s mission is topromote the integration of students of diverseorigins by fostering democratic values, helpingthe students master the language of instructionand of public life, and making them aware ofour unique historical heritage. Institutions mustdevise educational measures and school inte-gration strategies that suit their particularethnocultural profile. The task may be moredifficult in an institution with a strong ethnicconcentration, especially if the parents them-selves are still in the process of integrating.Recent research on the social integration ofstudents shows that ethnic concentration has verylittle impact on the image immigrant studentshave of the host society. At most, it may be saidthat their attitude is slightly more positive inschools with low ethnic concentration. Itremains essential, however, to ensure that theschool’s relations with the students, the familiesand the community all contribute to the students’social, linguistic and cultural integration.

Many CEGEPs have taken initiatives in thefield of extra-curricular activities, often withsupport from the Ministère de l’Éducation. Forexample, in certain CEGEPs with a strong ethnicconcentration, socioeducational integrationprojects have been organized by the interculturalcommittee or the sociocultural activities team.

Among the school staff

The credibility of pretensions to opennessand ethnocultural and religious diversity reliesheavily on the visibility of this diversity withinthe school staff; but, in many school boards andmost educational institutions, the staff remainsethnoculturally homogeneous. In addition, rela-tively few students who are recent immigrantschoose teaching careers, especially in elementary

15


community tends still to be sporadic and limited.The resources of the milieu are underutilized.

The schools are sometimes perceived by thecommunity as self-absorbed, and this perceptionsometimes leads to a power struggle, each sideseeking to fulfill only its formal responsibilitiesat the expense of cooperation, the sharing ofskills and the interests of the students andcommunities themselves. Ideally, withouttaking the place of the school, community orga-nizations should be able to exercise a positiveinfluence on students’ educational context—for example, by persuading parents to play a moresupportive role in their children’s education.Often, however this has not been the case,

In many towns, the local college is the primepurveyor of knowledge, in addition to contributingto the socioeconomic development of the commu-nity. With buildings, equipment and materialthat are ideal for cultural activities, the collegeplays a leading role in the cultural life of boththe student and local communities in the areasof theatre, music, film and photography.

Training of school staff

In the last few years, the universities havemade efforts to help teachers and other schoolstaff develop the skills needed to facilitate theintegration of students recently arrived fromoutside Canada and to provide interculturaleducation within the schools. Since the 1992-93reform of teacher training, certain universitycourses are now compulsory for future teachersand others are offered on an elective basis in someprograms. Practicums in multiethnic settingshave also become common. However, the actualimpact of this reform remains unknown, as areany further changes that may be necessary.There are no data on the number of studentswho take the elective courses.

holding consultations with parents or resourcepersons from multiethnic organizations, andinviting parents to participate in decisionsconcerning the orientations of the school or theeducation system. But these efforts have notbeen made in all schools. In some cases, theeducational milieu and the families are not truepartners in education. This situation, whichis often explained by linguistic barriers anddifferences in social and educational valuesand practices, can have a negative effect on thesocio-educational integration process of immi-grant students.

In addition, there is often a dichotomybetween the school’s expectations and thereality of family life today. The school staff expectsparents to participate actively (help withhomework, attend meetings, etc.) and some-times interprets as evidence of irresponsibilitybehaviour that should in fact be attributed tosocio-economic factors, different family dynamicsor other factors. If the gap between the school’sexpectations and the parents’ actual capacityfor involvement is too great, the parents mayreact by ceasing to play any role whatsoever intheir children’s education. This deprives theschools of any cooperation the parents mighthave offered, and may lead the children to havea negative image of their family. In addition, itshould be noted that parents also sometimesharbour exaggerated expectations, which donot correspond to the role or functions of theschool and which the school cannot fulfill.

Regarding the schools’ openness to thecommunity in general, much remains to beaccomplished. Certainly the establishment of anumber of programs and activities has contributedto students’ social integration and improved theeducation they receive in civic life and citizenship.But on the whole, and despite their comple-mentary expertise and geographical proximity,collaboration between the school and the

16


In continuing education, the universitieshave set up intercultural education programsleading to both undergraduate certificates andmaster’s degrees for school staff. After experi-encing a certain amount of popularity in thelate 1980s, some of these programs have hadfalling enrolments since 1990-91.

In addition, some school boards, the Ministèrede l’Éducation and many organizations haveheld sessions designed to help school staff takediversity into account in the teaching processand inject a pluralistic perspective into variouseducational activities. These efforts are neces-sary, yet there are often no links betweenintercultural education for teachers and theteaching itself: the theory is difficult to translateinto practice. Certain school boards and organi-zations handle the problem by relying more andmore on peer teaching and by organizing trainingactivities that correspond more closely to thepriorities defined by the educational institutionsand their staff.

Some colleges offer their personnel profes-sional development and sensitization activitiesto help them address the question of diversity,and especially ethnocultural diversity, in theireducational services to students. Teachingmaterials have been developed and various longand short programs are available, but they onlymeet a small part of the need expressed.

Given the situation described in this overview,the need for appropriate training in this fieldfor all teachers and other school staff (schoolprincipals, non-teaching professionals, supportstaff) is beyond all doubt.

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G u i d e l i n e s

statement, namely educational integration andintercultural education. The first three guide-lines concern educational integration, and theremaining five focus on intercultural education.

EDUCATIONAL INTEGRATIONPreparing students for success and full participation

The three guidelines presented below concernthe responsibility for the integration of studentswho are newly arrived in Québec, the schoolingof newly arrived students who are experiencingdifficulty with their educational integration, andthe relationship between the educational insti-tution, the family and the community. Thus, thefirst two guidelines target recent immigrantstudents, and third, all immigrant students.

1. Integrating students who are new to québec isthe joint responsibility of all school staff

It is important to facilitate the integration ofstudents who are new to Québec. Their integra-tion is, first of all, linguistic: once they learn thelanguage of instruction, they will assimilateother new things much more easily. Integrationalso has a pedagogical component, in that itinvolves determining students’ academic leveland bringing them up to the necessary level incertain subjects, if necessary. Integration also hasa social dimension, which entails in particularestablishing close ties with the host society andlearning its values, codes, norms and culturalreferences. One of the school’s basic objectivesis to help newly arrived students to integrate

T his chapter presents eight guidelinesbased on the principles for action regardingequal opportunity, proficiency in French

and education for democratic citizenship in apluralistic society. The guidelines do not proposespecific measures 5 or strategies, but allow edu-cational institutions introducing, consolidatingor adapting educational and interculturaleducation practices to choose those mostappropriate for their needs. The guidelineshave been formulated with a view to reconcilingthe shared values and social cohesion of Québecsociety with respect for diversity.

On the basis of the observations set out inChapter 3, it may be stated that in generaleducational institutions have already beguntaking steps to integrate immigrant studentsand to provide intercultural education.However, much ground remains to be covered,notably as regards the education of studentsbelonging to groups at risk; the acceptance ofcollective responsibility for the task of inte-grating newly arrived immigrant students,which is presently handled by too small a numberof staff members; close collaboration betweeninstitution, family and community; mastery anduse of French; references to Québec’s heritage,in all its diversity, in the curriculum and inschool life; the development of skills and attitudesthat are essential in order to achieve opennessto diversity among the school staff; and represen-tation of Québec’s ethnocultural and religiousdiversity in the composition of the school staff.

The guidelines are presented in two sectionscorresponding to the two themes of this policy

C H A P T E R 4

GUIDELINES

5.This policy is accompanied by a plan of action containingmeasures of interest to the various participants in the

educational community.

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G u i d e l i n e s

because they provide students with largerchallenges, which favourably influence theintegration process. In regular classes, studentsmust learn the various subjects, become moreautonomous and adapt, especially in the case ofsecondary-school students, to the diversity ofthe teaching staff. Regular classes also offergreater scope for socialization.

Consequently, students should be integratedprogressively into regular classes as early aspossible. Welcoming class teachers can only takethe linguistic and socio-educational integrationprocess so far. Like other aspects of integration,learning a language is a long-term process, and thebest way to learn is in real situations involvingcommunication.

Once they have acquired the basis of commu-nication, these students should enter regularclasses, with students of their own age, in theirlocal educational institution, where they will beable not only to master the language of instructionbut also have greater opportunities for socialintegration in the neighbourhood.

Obviously there is no question of expectingstudents with little French to integrate intoregular classes without support. It is up to eacheducational institution to decide what measuresare appropriate, and measures will necessarilyvary depending on the percentage of studentsto be integrated, but it is clear that some supportmeasures must be implemented in all cases.Examples might include a lower teacher-student ratio, offering support outside theclassroom, using special instructional materials,and calling on the help of resource persons.These measures would help lighten the load ofteachers of regular classes and increase thestudents’ likelihood of success.

successfully in all senses, so that all studentshave an equal opportunity for success.

All members of an educational institution’sstaff have a role to play in the integration ofstudents who are new to Québec. In preschooland at the elementary and secondary levels,teachers of regular classes, school principals,non-teaching professionals, support staff andteachers of French in welcoming classes orelsewhere all must participate, according to theirrole and function, in the integration of thesestudents. This is not uniquely the responsibilityof those whose job is to teach newcomersFrench, even if they are of necessity on thefront line of integration services. The longprocess involved in helping new immigrantslearn and master French and educating andsocializing them requires the active support ofall school staff.

This also applies to college personnel, andconcerns teachers of Preparation for CollegeFrench courses as well as the rest of thepersonnel.

In the youth sector, the welcoming class—with its various organizational models, such asthe closed and semi-open classes6—has provenan effective way to lay the foundations forintegration. Over the years, it has allowed non-Francophone immigrants with a broad range ofmother tongues and cultural origins to acquirethe rudiments of French and to integrate into theirnew school environment and society. It shouldbe recalled that the welcoming class is a meansof integration that may be applied according tothe needs of particular school boards. Thisadaptability no doubt helps explain its success.

However, regular classes are still a key phasein the integration process for immigrant students,

6.The closed welcoming class is primarily for immigrants with noFrench language proficiency. The semi-open model allows for

the progressive integration of welcoming class students intoregular classes, first in certain subjects, then others.

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G u i d e l i n e s

socio-educational integration of new arrivals toQuébec. Institutions should multiply their effortsto integrate recently arrived non-Francophonestudents into regular classes and encourage thegradual development of their sense of member-ship in the host society.

The school boards should support the educa-tional institutions’ efforts in this sense andensure that money allocated for supporting theacquisition of proficiency in French is used forthat purpose. They should also adopt policiesfavouring the enrolment of these new arrivalsin their local institutions and should respectthe parents’ wishes concerning the school theirchildren attend, as they do for other students.

The Ministère de l’Éducation will maintainits measures supporting the acquisition ofproficiency in French and integration in generalat the preschool, elementary, secondary andcollege levels. It will try to ensure a certainflexibility in the application of these measuresin order to encourage, whenever possible, theprogressive integration of recently arrivedstudents into regular classes corresponding totheir level of education, while allowing theschools their choice of school organization andeducational support services.

2. Recent immigrants with difficulty integratinginto school need fast, effective help

The proportion of immigrant students whoexperience difficulties integrating into theQuébec school system has been fairly stablefor many years, at about 20 percent of recentimmigrants in the youth sector. The welcomingclass plays a vital role for these students, who,understandably, stay there longer than theaverage. Similarly, these students require supportmeasures for the acquisition of proficiency inFrench longer than the other students. All thosewho can do so within a reasonable period oftime should have the opportunity to improve

Integration into regular classes should notbe abrupt, but rather should be carried outcarefully, which requires flexibility in applyingthe chosen models. It is well known that students’linguistic needs are not identical in all subjects,and that they also vary according to the indi-vidual and his or her age on arrival in theQuébec education system.

As a general rule, the later students arrive inthe system, the more support they will requirein order to master the language of instruction andcommunication. A non-Francophone who arrivesin time for secondary school needs incompa-rably more support than a child who arrives atthe outset of elementary school, with much lesslinguistic catching up to do. Similarly, a non-Francophone preschooler will usually requiresupport for a shorter period than a child whoenters Québec schools at the elementary level.

At the college level and in adult education,where there are no welcoming classes, it isimportant to offer preparatory courses in thelanguage of instruction for students who, eventhough they have been admitted, lack the linguis-tic proficiency to succeed in their studies.

Be it at the preschool, elementary, secondaryor college level, integration into regular classesof students who are new to Québec can onlysucceed if the entire staff accept responsibilityfor their linguistic and socio-educational integra-tion. In addition, staff members must cooperatein order to ensure coherence between the variousmeasures to achieve integration. Administrators,teaching staff, non-teaching professionals andsupport staff must all agree on the strategiesto use.

Educational institutions—schools, adulteducation centres, vocational education centresand colleges—should be encouraged to maketheir staff aware of the need to collectivelyadopt measures facilitating the linguistic and

20

G u i d e l i n e s

The Ministère de l’Éducation has alreadymodified its budgetary rules to allot moreresources for students at the secondary leveland to eliminate the obligation to conform to apreestablished educational organization, soschools and school boards can set up strategiesadapted to the particular needs of studentswith difficulties integrating into school.

In addition, where the Heritage LanguageProgram is available, the Ministère will reorientthis program, which was originally designed toenable students to maintain and develop thelanguage used in their family, transforming itinto another support measure for students withdifficulty integrating into school. When thestudents in the HLP program master theirlanguage of origin better than French, it canserve as the basis for learning in subjects inwhich the students have not been progressing,and thus help these students catch up.

3. Educational institutions, families and the commu-nity must work together to promote educationalintegration

In the new Education Act, the Ministère del’Éducation places special emphasis on a partner-ship between the institution, the family and thecommunity, in order to permit equal input fromusers of educational services and those who offerthe services, and shared decisions that respectthe competence of all concerned. In the spiritof this partnership, a governing board will beset up in each institution, composed of membersof the school staff, parents, and representativesfrom the community and the students, at leastin schools offering Cycle Two of secondary school.

In addition, the new Act provides for an organ-ization enabling parents to contribute to theplanning, achievement and periodic evaluationof the school’s educational project and to theirchildren’s academic success. This Act also allowsschools more leeway to adapt their services to

their French and catch up in their other areasof learning, so that they can continue theireducation.

Without appropriate help, these young people,and especially those who arrive here at or abovethe age of 13, may never graduate from secondaryschool, so it is vital that the system find effectiveremedial measures. Various approaches havebeen tried with these students, who are entitledto other educational services besides instructionalservices. Most of these approaches are based oncultural literacy education to help the studentsto function in a technologically advanced society,the application of metacognitive strategies andtechniques concerning schoolwork, the integratedlearning of school subjects and the encour-agement of parental support for the institution’sefforts. Although all of these approaches appearviable, it is essential that measures be takenimmediately, as soon as these students arrive inQuébec, and that they be suited to the realitiesof the milieu and the needs of the students inquestion.

Taking action as rapidly as possible requiresprompt identification of students with problemsand an overall approach that both enables themto assimilate enough French to communicate andfollow courses, and addresses their problems inother subjects. This should make it possible toavoid placing the students in a situation thatcould lead to failure, which would demoralizethem. To design and apply the appropriatemeasures, it is necessary to take into account astudent’s age, prior learning, the nature of thedifficulties and his or her plans for the future.

The educational institutions must developinnovative models for intervention suited to theneeds of the students concerned, in collaborationwith the adult and vocational education sectors.They must also offer the students’ parents thesupport they need to play an active role in theirchildren’s educational success.

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that the institutions will in return benefitfrom the support of the community (help withhomework, extracurricular activities, sharingof information, etc.).

Educational institutions should coordinatetheir services with those of other institutionsand organizations in the community (CLSCs,municipalities, police, etc.) in order to organizecultural and sports activities for young people,for example. Educational and community insti-tutions must share certain infrastructures,such as school gymnasiums and other premises,cultural centres, libraries and sports centres.

The school boards should encourage cooper-ation between the schools and communityorganizations and encourage schools, as well asadult and vocational education centres toparticipate in community consultation andcoordination committees, with representativesfrom the world of business. The colleges shouldcontinue to their efforts to establish partnershipswith community organizations in order to be ableto offer services and organize activities thatsupport the training, schooling and integrationof their immigrant students.

In addition to evaluating the actionsundertaken, the Ministère de l’Éducation willcollaborate more actively with other ministries(Ministère de la Culture et des Communications,Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et del’Immigration, Ministère de la Santé et desServices sociaux, etc.), to improve and coordinateservices and to produce and distribute a resourcebank on the theme of integration.

INTERCULTURAL EDUCATIONLearning how to live together in a Francophone,democratic and pluralistic society

The following guidelines focus on intercul-tural education and learning to live together,and they concern all students in the school

the needs and characteristics of their studentsand their community.

The idea underlying these measures is thatthe school, the family and the whole communitymust share the responsibility for integratingimmigrant students and ensuring their fullparticipation in the life of the community. Theeducational institution cannot accomplish thistask alone; it needs partners.

Some schools have developed ways of elicitingcommunity cooperation that other schools mayfind helpful as well. In most cases, however, asindicated in the previous chapter, relationsbetween schools take the form of periodicexchanges of resources and the occasional sharingof expertise.

Further efforts are needed to achieve activeand ongoing collaboration between school staff,parents and community organizations, whichis part of the school’s mission and is urgentlyrequired for integration. Involving parents andcommunity organizations in the school’s missionmeans encouraging parental participation in anyform, engaging in dialogue on values, supportingcommunity initiatives and responding to needsthe community expresses (access to offices,resources, etc.).

Vocational and adult education centres withimmigrants students must also establish closerties with community organizations in order topromote the education, socialization and quali-fication of these students, thereby helping thembecome active citizens.

To this end, educational institutions mustinvolve the parents more in various aspects ofschool life, consult them, and inform them aboutQuébec’s education system, the school cultureand the changes introduced by the reform ofthe education system. Institutions should openup to the needs of the community and collaboratein community initiatives. It is to be hoped

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corollary of this perspective is that all school staff,the work context and society in general becomeresponsible for the ongoing French-languageacquisition of the non-Francophones in theirmidst.

There are several programs for learningFrench in Québec: mother tongue; secondlanguage; (various models, including immersion)welcoming class and francization; the Frenchtaught in immigrant orientation centres; adulteducation francization services in school boards;francization and job market integration programsin the continuing education sector at the collegelevel, etc. These programs operate along parallellines at present, and in most cases there is littlecontinuity between the various courses.

Mastering a language is a long-term, perhapsnever-ending, process, as we have mentionedon several occasions, which explains why non-Francophone students in all sectors often haveto move from program to program in order toattain their educational objectives, passingfrom a French as a second language course to aFrench, language of instruction, course, forexample. Successive adaptations to programs,inadequate coordination between programs andprograms that are not always suitable for thestudents sometimes create obstacles to successin school, social integration (in the case ofimmigrants), employability, and full participationin social life.

It is important to remove these obstacles.The Ministère de l’Éducation and the Ministèredes Relations avec les citoyens et de l’Immi-gration are committed to harmonizing allFrench-language instruction programs: forexample, adult sector francization courses atthe secondary and college levels will be coordi-nated with the programs offered in immigrantorientation and education centres (centresd’orientation et de formation des immigrants:

system, whether they were born in Québec orelsewhere, are Francophone, Anglophone orAboriginal. Mastering and using French, thelanguage of public life, learning about andsupporting shared values and acquiring theskills necessary to participate actively in thedevelopment of a democratic and pluralisticQuébec society are major goals that apply to allstudents. The guideline on the interculturaleducation of school staff is especially concernedwith adapting the educational practices usedwith all students, be it in multiethnic milieus orothers. Finally, the representation of ethnic andcultural diversity among school staff, which isthe focus of the last guideline, is essential asevidence of good faith on the part of institutionsclaiming to combat exclusion and to supportthe idea that we must all live together.

4. Learning French must be seen as an ongoingprocess

We have already seen, particularly in thechapter on principles, that French is the commonlanguage in which Quebecers of all culturalorigins, languages and religions can communicate.The means for becoming as proficient as possiblein the use of this common tool of communicationshould be available to everyone. This guidelineunderscores the importance of supporting themastery of French, which, as is the case withany language, is never complete. All Québecstudents should be able to take French profi-ciency as far as they want, using means availablein courses and programs, and also in schoolactivities. Learning French should be consideredan ongoing process.

This perspective implies giving all non-Francophone students the opportunity tobecome proficient enough in French to attendschool, if they want, to obtain occupationalcertification or upgrade their qualifications orfunction effectively in their job and to partici-pate actively in the life of their community. The

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Promoting French as a vehicle for communi-cation among Quebecers of all origins is anexcellent way to achieve the linguistic and socialintegration of non-Francophone immigrantsstudents or those whose parents are immigrants.In addition to ensuring that immigrants learnFrench, we must encourage them to take pleasurein using it in everyday life, which will enable themto better understand the French character ofQuébec society, and its history, and to develop asense of belonging and a commitment to thesurvival of French.

Along these lines, the Ministère de l’Éducationis collaborating with the Ministère de la Cultureet des Communications, the Ministère desRelations avec les citoyens et de l’Immigrationand the Office de la langue française in thedevelopment and implementation of strategiesfavouring the linguistic integration of immigrantstudents as well as their familiarization withQuébec’s cultural heritage, and the full partici-pation of all students in this Francophone,democratic and pluralistic society. Thesestrategies are based on the use of French andaccess to numerous and varied cultural resources.

Working together, educational institutionsand community organizations should organizeactivities allowing students, and parents insome cases, to enjoy activities together andexperience the pleasure of using the Frenchlanguage. Suitable activities would be meetingswith authors of various origins, shows, exhibi-tions, etc. School administrations shouldencourage all approaches based on the assimi-lation of skills in French, and especially twinningactivities. French can be presented in a positivelight by means of attractive activities such asartistic productions, introduction to variousmedia and training in the new information andcommunications technologies, in a spirit ofopenness to the French-speaking communityand culture throughout the world. The educa-tional community should use posters to promote

COFIs). These ministries will also eliminate thegap between the courses given in COFIs and thePreparation for College French courses offeredat the college level for students wishing to takecollege courses, either in continuing educationor in the regular sector.

It is also urgent for school boards, throughtheir adult education sectors, to help certainparents overcome the difficulties created bytheir ignorance of French, which prevent themfrom offering their children the support theyneed for success in school. In order to respondto the communication needs of the parents, theeducational institutions and community organi-zations should set up projects, workshops orother francization activities, with the dualobjective of helping the parents learn Frenchand involving them in the educational missionof the schools.

5. French, the language of public life and vehicle ofQuébec’s cultural life, must be presented in apositive light by the educational community

Priority should be given to providing allstudents with a positive image of French, thelanguage of public life. Their active participationin Québec’s cultural, economic and politicaldevelopment will be shaped by their image ofthe language. Access to the culture, which isinherent in a knowledge of the language, is oftenleft out of teaching practices. This reflects atendency to see the language purely as a subjectto be taught. In addition to its functional aspects,language is a vehicle of culture and thought,and a sphere of creativity.

This guideline suggests that the use of thelanguage of public life can enhance communi-cation and understanding between Quebecersof all origins, overcoming ethnic and linguisticdivisions, and creating solidarity. It does not entailthe rejection of English, Aboriginal languages,or the mother tongues of allophone students.

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society and social cohesion, which are an essentialcondition for pluralism.

The curriculum and school life shouldfamiliarize students with Québec’s heritage andthe shared values that underlie it, namely,openness to ethnocultural, linguistic andreligious diversity.

It is of the utmost importance that allstudents acquire a solid grounding in Québec’sshared values; that program content favouropenness to ethnocultural, linguistic and religiousdiversity by illustrating the diversity of our society;that these objectives be incorporated into thecontext of school life; that harmonious relationsbetween communities be promoted and thatracism and discrimination be combatted. Thisoverall approach will probably foster a sense ofbelonging to Québec society among immigrantstudents and will encourage all students toparticipate in building the evolving collectiveheritage.

Courses and programs

Elementary and secondary level generaleducation programs must be adapted, and thecourses enriched in order to achieve theseobjectives. Creating a citizenship course will beespecially helpful, as will according greaterimportance to the teaching of history and socialstudies and taking ethnocultural pluralism intoaccount in a greater number of courses andprograms.

The Ministère de l’Éducation’s educationalpolicy statement, Québec Schools on Course,established the framework for these changes,whose dual objective is to transmit Québecsociety’s shared values to new immigrants, thuscontributing to their integration, and to ensure

French and create a stimulating environmentthat is hospitable to the use of French.

6. The curriculum and school life must both reflectthe heritage and shared values of Québec andbe open to ethnocultural, linguistic and religiousdiversity

The best way to bolster students’ sense ofbelonging and solidarity is by fostering theiractive participation in the development andenrichment of Québec’s collective heritage,7

which may be seen as an evolving heritage inwhich all can see themselves and as an ongoingprocess to which all can contribute.

It is important for educational institutions toshare Québec’s heritage, history, values andcustoms, and its pride in its progress in alldomains with all students, but especially withrecent immigrants. Recognition of the fact thatthe host society is a largely French-speakingentity in the North American context should bea major focus of the integration approach used.It is also necessary, in an inclusive approach,to fully recognize the contributions (in theeconomic, cultural, artistic, scientific, sports,linguistic and religious fields, and so on) ofall members of Québec society, whatevertheir origin.

Educational institutions have already madeefforts to accommodate Québec’s ethnocultural,linguistic and religious diversity. These shouldcontinue, and efforts should also be made toinclude more pluralistic perspectives in thelearning content and in the various spheresof school life in order to meet the challengesfacing pluralistic democracy. Care must betaken to instill in all students, and especiallyimmigrants and the children of immigrants, theshared values necessary for participation in

7.The collective heritage is a term referring to both the memoryof the contribution of all those who have ever lived in Québec,

and a project in the sense that all contemporary Québec citizenswork together to shape society.

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language may be chosen from among theAboriginal languages, the languages taught inthe Heritage Language Program, or the workinglanguages of the United Nations, excludingFrench and English, as the students alreadyreceive instruction in them. Given Québec’scultural and economic relations with LatinAmerica, Spanish—which is both a workinglanguage of the UN and an HLP language—orPortuguese—which is offered in the HLP—would also be useful third languages to acquire.

The Ministère de l’Éducation will examinethe possibility of recognizing learning in theirmother tongue for Aboriginal and immigrantstudents or those whose parents are immigrants,in the second cycle of secondary school.

Introduction to religious cultures - TheMinistère de l’Éducation may develop an intro-duction to religious cultures, which wouldconsider the Christian and Aboriginal religionsthat have particularly shaped Québec and othermajor religions practised in Québec. Thisapproach will make it possible to ground theinstruction in the traditional practices of thestudents, their parents or their extended families.In addition it would stimulate dialogue amongstudents of different religions concerning theirrespective religions and the place of religion incontemporary society.

French, language of instruction and secondlanguage - In addition to literature produced inFrench by Francophone and non-FrancophoneQuébec authors, which will familiarize studentswith French-language Québec literature, studentsshould be reading literary works produced else-where in the Francophone world. The rangemay be further extended by the addition oftranslations of works originally written inanother language, notably English.

English, language of instruction and secondlanguage - In addition to English-language

respect for ethnocultural, linguistic and religiouspluralism.

Citizenship education - There are threebasic reasons why citizenship education shouldbe a component of the democratic school’soverall mission: to offer every person, in thespirit of equal opportunity, the means forachieving personal fulfillment and optimumsocial integration; to prevent students’ withdrawalinto themselves, or their marginalization orexclusion and encourage them to participate inthe democratic debate on the guidelines for ajust society; and to recognize that equality beforethe law, social justice and the right to securityare basic elements of any democratic society.

Citizenship education focusses on knowledgeof the common rules of life in our society andunderstanding of relations among people andbetween people and the environment. It is atool for understanding others, accepting differ-ences and harmonizing life in the educationalinstitution, which are also the objectives ofintercultural education. Citizenship educationalso involves letting students exercise citizenshiprights within the context of the educationalinstitution to prepare them for active participationin the democratic institutions of society in general.

The Ministère will make it compulsory for allstudents to take a history and citizenship educa-tion course from the second cycle of elementaryschool through Secondary IV. The Ministère willalso determine the competencies students shouldacquire to foster harmonious interpersonal andsocial relations, participate fully in the life ofthe community and enhance their criticaljudgement.

Learning a third language - The Ministèrede l’Éducation will encourage students to learna third language, which will be a valuable additionto their education in the context of the global-ization of trade and communications. The third

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artists of different origins, and will associate artwith international and intercultural under-standing. The music program will familiarizestudents with instruments and types of music ofdifferent origins.

Science - The history of science will be amajor focus of the science program. This willcontribute to a proper appreciation of thecontributions of different cultures to thedevelopment of the sciences.

College students in the pre-university sectorshould be familiar with the theories, conceptsand facts pertaining to intercultural relationsand develop professional and civic attitudesand skills. This learning content should bedistributed among the various disciplines thatmake up a program and teachers shouldcooperate in organizing this aspect. As manycourses as possible in a program should includelearning content with objectives related tointercultural relations, rights and citizenship.Each discipline should contribute to the acqui-sition of intercultural and civic skills.

As vocational and technical education areupdated, it will be more possible to introducethe intercultural dimension (where the worksituation justifies it) in the competencies relatedto communication and interpersonal or socialrelations, for example. This seems particularlyappropriate in programs leading to occupationsthat involve dealing directly with the public, suchas health care, social services, education and law.

School life

Student participation

In addition to taking diversity into consider-ation in course content, educational institutionsshould introduce pluralistic perspectives inextracurricular activities, complementary servicesand codes of conduct. Sporting, cultural and other

literature produced in Québec by Anglophoneand non-Anglophone Québec authors, which willfamiliarize students with English-languageQuébec literature, students should be readingliterary works produced in English outside ofQuébec. The range may be extended by theaddition of translations of works originallywritten in another language, notably French.

National history - It is essential to raisecultural standards by encouraging a betterknowledge of Québec’s history, and in particularof the material and spiritual achievements andthe movements that have characterized Québec’sevolution as a French-speaking society in NorthAmerica. It is also important to integrate intothe study of history—and not just to tack onas separate material—the role played byAnglophones and Aboriginal peoples, and bygroups of other ethnic origins, in the building ofQuébec society and the development of thecollective identity and memory of Quebecers.Expressions such as “the contribution of thecultural communities” and “successive wavesof immigration” may mislead by implyingjuxtaposition in certain contexts. The Ministèrewill also enrich or make compulsory the teachingof history and geography in Introduction toQuébec life programs, along with the supportimmigrants receive for learning French.

The contemporary world - This programwill enable students to learn about variouscivilizations and situate their developmentusing comparative historical tables. The programwill also explain population movements and theircauses and sociological, cultural and demo-graphic implications in Québec. In addition, theconcept of international understanding will beintroduced in the context of the problems ofNorth-South and East-West relations and theimplications of globalization for Québec society.

Arts - This program will include elements ofart history, focussing on the works of Québec

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linguistic diversity of its student body out of aconcern for professionalism and not in responseto official requests.

A variety of arguments concerning theimportance of partnership, the harmonizationof family values with those of the school, andmeans to support the integration of newlyarrived students can be used to seek mutuallyacceptable solutions to exceptional requests. Inaddition, there is a growing awareness in theeducation community that some of theserequests can or could be the object of legalaction—although these are far fewer than isoften supposed, and are related mainly toreligious freedom. It is true that the courtshave ruled that there is an obligation to seek“reasonable accommodation” in areas related toemployment when the matter involves a basicright guaranteed by the Canadian and Québeccharters of rights and the failure to respect theright could cause discrimination by adverseeffect.8 Some experts now believe that, in reality,this obligation extends to the field of services.

However, other cases are of greater concernto school staff, who worry about the possiblecontradictions between accommodations theeducational institution reaches and the basicvalues it is supposed to instill in its students. InQuébec and Canada the law provides certainguidelines for the recognition of pluralism andthe exercise of rights and freedoms, such as theneed to reconcile the various laws and the state’srecognized responsibility to enforce the law inways that serve the general interest.

With specific regard to the education system,this general principle implies that accommoda-tions agreed on to meet the cultural or religiousneeds of families must not jeopardize basic rights,such as the right to equality before the law, the

activities will provide an authentic initiation indemocratic and harmonious relations, free fromdiscrimination or racism. By emphasizing coop-erative activities and the sharing of knowledgeand experiences, they will help students ofdiverse origins build a collective heritage.

Participating in school elections, the studentcouncil and, for older students, the governingboard are also good ways to learn about workingin groups, including how to respect the rightsof each member of the group and how to buildsolidarity within the group as a whole. Specialattention will be paid from an early age to theprocess of developing codes of conduct and totheir content. This activity will develop thestudents’ ability to express themselves, listen,understand and assimilate rules with an attitudeof self-respect and respect for others. Theschools must ensure that the codes of conductguarantee the students’ fundamental rights andcombat all forms of racism and exclusion,whether among the students or the school staff.

Reasonable Accommodations

The diversity of beliefs and values, whetheroriginating in religion, culture or personalopinion, can result in the formulation ofdemands by students or parents for exceptionsto an educational institution’s rules. Theserequests generally concern observance ofreligious obligations and practices, but may alsoreflect concepts of school, learning, disciplineand children’s rights, linguistic usage, and thestatus and roles of men and women.

A fair number of requests are settled directlyby teachers or the administrations of theeducational institutions. In some cases, theinstitution takes measures to adapt its educa-tional practices to the cultural, religious and

8.Discrimination by adverse effect is said to occur when, even inthe absence of overt discrimination, an ostensibly neutral ruleor practice, applied in the same manner to all persons, excludes

or penalizes certain categories of persons in a way that maycurtail their right to equality.

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educated parents would be unlikely to fulfill,flexibility in response to cultural and religiousdiversity is not only allowed but stronglyencouraged in this subject.

Finally, the financial and organizationalconstraints facing educational institutionsmust also be borne in mind, in order to avoidaccommodations that strain the staff’s ability tofulfill all their responsibilities. However, thisconcept of “undue hardship” must not be usedto justify a policy of doing nothing or the refusalto make any concessions. After all, the very ideaof reasonable accommodation or of the reason-ableness of the accommodation presumes thatboth sides are acting in good faith. It must bestressed that both are responsible for findinga mutually acceptable compromise—therequester of exemptions from the practices ofthe educational institution just as much as therepresentative of the institution.

The Ministère, which has already publisheda training unit for the youth sector on accom-modating cultural and religious diversity in theschools (including an analysis of the leewayregarding the most frequent demands),10 iscommitted to supporting the schools bypreparing appropriate tools, which can beadjusted according to the evolution of thedemands.

Regarding all such matters, the Ministère del’Éducation will collaborate closely with theother ministries and organizations concerned,in particular with the Ministère des Relationsavec les citoyens et de l’Immigration, theCommission des droits de la personne et desdroits de la jeunesse du Québec and the Conseildu statut de la femme.

right to be treated without discrimination andthe right to protection, which the QuébecCharter of Human Rights and Freedoms, theEducation Act and other laws give every student.However, these guidelines must be interpretedcarefully. On the one hand, it is important toconsider the fact that the rights granted bylegislation to minors and the right of parents tochoose the type education their children willreceive are gradually coming to be exercisedand are supported by many charters and inter-national agreements. On the other hand, weneed to distinguish between a direct infringementof a person’s right to equal treatment or protectionand a practice unacceptable to the values of theschool staff but which contravenes no law orcharter. Thus, for example, wearing a hijab notcannot be forbidden in Québec schools, but anypractice designed to prevent girls and boys fromhaving access to the same educational services,or which would have that effect, must beforbidden.9

The effort to achieve a balance betweenrecognizing pluralism and providing a minimalcommon framework for school life and, in thelong term, life in society also implies that theproposed accommodations should not contraveneQuébec laws and regulations respecting educationthat apply to students of all origins. However, itmust be remembered that, unlike basic rights,some of these provisions allow for a certainflexibility in their application: some clearlydefine the leeway that exists regarding theirprescriptive nature, while others even considerit an obligation to take into consideration thediversity of the student population. For example,although it is not permitted to exempt studentsfrom sex education courses, except in rare caseswhose requirements newly arrived or poorly

9.Accommodations must obviously not limit the equal right ofgirls or women to pursue their education.

10. In 1998, the Ministère will publish a version of this guide foruse in the adult education sector.

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All school staff must develop opennesstowards diversity; teaching skills appropriatefor working in a multiethnic milieu; the abilityto effectively resolve conflicts concerningpractices and standards; the ability to teach asecond language and a language of instruction,and to adapt their teaching in these fields tostudents’ progress; the ability to convey valuesand information related to Québec’s heritageand to communicate, when necessary, withallophone parents who do not share theireducational values and customs; and the abilityto include pluralism in the educational project,and so on. Training in these skills must take intoaccount the guidelines set out in this policystatement.

It is thus to be expected that school boardsand institutions will give priority to furthertraining in class management and the develop-ment of teaching strategies suited to students’needs. School boards, schools and adult andvocational education centres should encouragepeer teaching based on the sharing of personalexperiences and solutions, and rely on organi-zations whose expertise is recognized.

In the colleges, staff should be encouragedto take professional development courses toimprove their skills at working with an ethnicallydiversified population. Teaching staff mustlearn how to organize their instruction so as toincorporate themes that will enable all theirstudents, whatever their background, to assim-ilate the shared values of Québec, includingopenness to ethnocultural, linguistic andreligious diversity.

The universities must modify their teachertraining and professional development programsto ensure that teachers acquire the skills theyneed to work in a multiethnic setting and toprepare their students to live in a pluralisticsociety, even if they attend a school in which

7. School staff must be trained to meet the educa-tional challenges associated with Québec’sethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity

The teachers and other members of the staffof educational institutions play a pivotal role inthe carrying out of any project in the schools.Their cooperation is essential for the successfulimplementation of this policy.

Although a real effort is made during initialtraining and professional development to giveschool staff, and especially teachers, a goodgrounding in intercultural education and, to alesser extent, teaching in a multiethnic context,new concerns have emerged. These includeconveying the shared values, accommodatingdiversity appropriately, schooling immigrantstudents with difficulty integrating into school,enhancing school staff’s effectiveness, etc.There are also challenges in the adult educationsector, where the staff receive little interculturaleducation. Activities to educate staff on theseissues have been organized in some colleges, butthey cannot satisfy the extent and the diversityof the needs.

It is crucial that the staff of educationalinstitutions be trained to meet the educationalchallenges posed by the ethnocultural, linguisticand religious diversity of the students and bythe need to ensure that they assimilate a set ofshared values. This guideline concerns not onlyteachers but also the other categories of staff,in schools, adult and vocational education cen-tres and colleges, in all regions of Québec. All ofthese staff members must have knowledge,skills and attitudes that are appropriate formeeting these educational challenges.

Teachers and all other members of the staffof educational institutions must receive trainingin educational integration, since they will all beinvolved in the effort to integrate recentlyarrived students into regular classes.

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and help bring people of different culturescloser together. Educational institutions strivingto achieve an active and visible pluralism shouldconsider this a priority, even if the dearth ofqualified candidates from varied backgroundsfor teaching positions is a real obstacle to theimprovement of this situation.

Ethnic diversity should be a priority in thehiring of new educational personnel, which hasalready begun and will continue for the nextfew years. In addition, although hiring remainsthe principal means of increasing ethnoculturaldiversity, transfers and promotion of personnelwithin educational institutions should be lookedinto as possible ways to achieve this goal.

Finally, it seems appropriate to ask schoolboards and colleges to make sure that theirhiring system includes no rules or practicesthat could have a discriminatory effect and thatthe diversity of society finds some reflectioneven in the most homogenous institutions, andto urge educational establishments to encourageyoung immigrants to consider careers as teachers.

there is little ethnic diversity. This concernmust be reflected in all the theoretical andpractical education the teachers receive.

8. The ethnic and cultural diversity of Québec societyshould be reflected in all categories of schoolstaff

In keeping with society’s goal of social equalityand an end to all forms of exclusion and discrim-ination, educational institutions, school boards,colleges and the Ministère de l’Éducationshould seek to increase the ethnic and culturaldiversity of their staff. People from differentethnic groups should feel recognized andincluded in Québec society, and have access toemployment in all job categories in the field ofeducation. This would also bring the compositionof those employment categories more into linewith that of society.

Ethnocultural diversity in the staff of aneducational institution also has psychoedu-cational implications: by encouraging studentidentification with a diversified society and avariety of role models, it favours success in schooland the development of a sense of belonging inQuébec. These consequences benefit not onlythe immigrant students but all the students andstaff, who learn, through contact with others, torecognize the diversity of their society.

In order for the staff to reflect the ethnicdiversity of our society, even school boards orcolleges in so-called homogenous areas mustinclude individuals of different origins. This doesnot mean that each educational institutionmust aim to recreate in its staff the proportionaldistribution of each ethnic group in its particularstudent population, but rather that the compo-sition of the institution’s staff should reflectthat of Québec society as a whole.

This would give concrete expression to argu-ments in favour of acceptance and integration

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CONCLUSION

This policy statement offers a comprehensive framework for the integration of immi-grant students and the implementation of intercultural education, setting out theprinciples for action that should guide the school system in its efforts to accommodate

the ethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity of its students. The first principle foraction, equality of opportunity, requires that all schools offer an equal opportunity forsuccess in school to all students, whatever their characteristics. A command of French,the language of public life, is the focus of the second principle for action, which educationalinstitutions must apply in a manner that benefits all their students, be theyFrancophones, Anglophones or allophones. The third principle for action concernseducation for democratic citizenship in a pluralistic society, and aims mainly to promotethe acceptance by all members of society of shared values, including an open attitudetowards diversity.

Although educational institutions have made some progress in the areas of integrationand intercultural education, there remain weak areas, which must be improved. Thispolicy statement indicates the guidelines institutions should adopt in numerous areas:responsibility for the integration of recently arrived young immigrants; success for studentswith difficulty integrating into school; collaboration between the educational institution,the family and the community; the learning of French, the shared public language, asan ongoing process, and the promotion of French as a vehicle of culture; openness toethnocultural, linguistic and religious diversity throughout the curriculum and in schoollife; initial training and staff upgrading in intercultural education and working in amultiethnic context, and the ethnic diversification of school staff.

These guidelines provide an overall approach to use in connection with all aspects ofthe curriculum and school life. Integration and intercultural education involve morethan one subject or one set of measures, no matter how effective. Rather, they involveadopting cross-curricular objectives and pursuing them constantly and in every aspect ofthe education process.

It is clear that the diversity of these guidelines makes their implementation theshared responsibility of all partners in the education system, including the Ministère del’Éducation, the school boards and the schools: integration and intercultural educationdepend on the participation of all members of the educational community. Everyone hasto contribute to the recognition and accommodation of diversity, educating students tobecome active citizens and participants in the development of a democratic,Francophone, and pluralistic, Québec society. Thus, everyone will have a hand in thecollective renewal of Québec schools.

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REFERENCES

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APPENDIX

Advisory committee to the work group on the integration and interculturaleducation policyBenes, Marie-FranceChair of the advisory committee, Direction des services aux communautés culturelles,Ministère de l’Éducation

Doutre, CarloSpecial education teacher, école Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Commission scolaire Baldwin-Cartier

Kachani, MoustaphaDirector, Centre d’intégration multi-services de l’Ouest de l’île de Montréal

Komatsoulis, AngeloRegional director, Commission des écoles protestantes du Grand Montréal

Lavoie-Gauthier, LiseDirector of studies, Commission des écoles catholiques de Montréal

Lemay, DenyseProfesseure, cégep Bois-de-Boulogne

McAndrew, MarieDirector, Centre Immigration et métropoles, Université de Montréal

Melloul, FélixExecutive director, Association des écoles juives de Montréal

Morin, JeanPrincipal, école secondaire Saint-Luc, Commission des écoles catholiques de Montréal

Ouellet, FernandCoordinator, Centre d’éducation interculturelle et de compréhension internationale

Panetta, EmilioVice-principal, école secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry, Commission scolaire Jérôme- Le-Royer

Robertson, DebbieDirector, Comité sur l’éducation pour la communauté noire anglophone

Saint-Jacques, MarcelIntercultural education coordinator, Service de planification, de recherche et de développement, Conseil scolaire de l’île de Montréal

Saint-Maurice, YvesDirector-general, Commission scolaire des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière

Sarrasin, LouiseTeacher, école De Maisonneuve, Commission des écoles protestantes du Grand Montréal

Vasquez-Reyes, PatriciaDirector, Centre multi-écoute

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Vézina, ColetteTeacher, Centre Jean-Grou, Commission scolaire Sainte-Croix

Volcy, Marc-YvesSecretary of the advisory committee, Direction des services aux communautés culturelles, Ministère de l’Éducation

Work group on the integration and intercultural education policyBenes, Marie-FranceCoordinator of the work group, Direction des services aux communautés culturelles,Ministère de l’Éducation

Boudreault, MichelDirection générale de l’enseignement privé, Ministère de l’Éducation

Dumas, Marie-ClaireDivision des affaires interculturelles, Ville de Montréal

Dyotte, SuzanneDirection des services aux communautés culturelles, Ministère de l’Éducation

Gagnon-Robitaille, NicoleDirection de la formation et de la titularisation du personnel scolaire, Ministère de l’Éducation

Hénaire, JeanDirection de la recherche, Ministère de l’Éducation

Lagacé, LiseDirection des politiques et programmes de relations interculturelles, Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l’Immigration

Leclerc, MichelDirection de l’adaptation scolaire et des services complémentaires, Ministère de l’Éducation

Marchand, CamilleDirection de la formation générale des jeunes, Ministère de l’Éducation

Mastriani, LinoDirection de la formation générale des adultes, Ministère de l’Éducation

Patenaude, AllanServices à la communauté anglophone, Ministère de l’Éducation

Teitelbaum, BenjaminMinistère de la Métropole

Tremblay, GisèleDirection des politiques et programmes de relations interculturelles, Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l’Immigration

Vézina, ChristineDirection des affaires éducatives du collégial, Ministère de l’Éducation

Volcy, Marc-YvesSecretary of the work group, Direction des services aux communautés culturelles,Ministère de l’Éducation

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