The Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning has accepted 18 recommendations aimed at improving second-language learning in New Brunswick.
The recommendations came from a report commissioned to review the Official Languages Act.
Speaking the reporters on Wednesday, Education Minister Dominic Cardy said the report’s findings echo feedback the department has heard from students, staff and families in recent years.
“My hope is that we can end the endless conversations about entry points for French immersion and turn our attention to building a framework that provides equal learning opporotunites for all students across all regions based on what those students need,” Cardy said.
Cardy said the current model in the anglophone sector has created a social hierarchy leading to students feeling discouraged about French second-language learning.
He said they want to ensure every student can graduate with a minimum of conversational proficiency in both official languages and offer advanced second-language learning.
“So the difference that most parents and students should see is they learn french a bit more easily and hopefully have fun doing it and teachers have more tools to improve the learning outcomes for their students in second languages,” Cardy said.
Consultations will be held to address concerns French second-language learning programs are not meeting the needs of every student.
