New Brunswickers can give their input on how to improve French second-language training in the anglophone sector.
The province launched a consultation website Tuesday as it looks to design a new French-language learning framework.
It wants to create more equitable learning opportunities by moving away from the two-tiered system of the English Prime and French Immersion programs.
Education Minister Dominic Cardy says fewer than half of high school graduates in the anglophone sector are currently able to speak French at a conversational level.
“The French Immersion program is very successful and has many strengths that should be celebrated,” Cardy said in a news release Wednesday.
“The issue does not reside with this program, but rather, the immersion and non-immersion structure which developed over time. The division between the French Immersion and English Prime cohorts has created imbalances and streaming throughout the anglophone sector.”
A series of public sessions, which include focus groups, world cafes and working groups, will begin this fall. Members of the public may also send written submissions, until Nov. 30, to consultation.EECD-EDPE@gnb.ca.
In a news release, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development said engagement sessions and written submissions are intended to focus on how the anglophone sector can better meet the needs of every student by:
- ensuring every anglophone sector student graduates with a minimum of conversational-level proficiency in French;
- working with local educators to develop solutions that match regional resources and realities;
- considering expanding local French second-language learning projects; and
- exploring opportunities to allow anglophone students to obtain advanced levels of French, such as taking university-level courses in high school.
“We remain committed to ensuring every student has the tools they need to graduate with a minimum of conversational proficiency in both official languages while providing opportunities for advanced second-language learning,” said Cardy.
