Montreal, August 27, 2019 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is preoccupied by the Government of Québec’s piecemeal approach to public education.
“The Government has undertaken a number of significant changes to our education system since their election, such as school tax reform, fees charged to parents, universal kindergarten for four-year olds, and school governance reform is expected this fall. These changes have been implemented without a clear, broader vision on the future of public education in Québec” said QESBA President Dan Lamoureux.
The QESBA supports the suggestion made by our colleagues at the Fédération des commissions scolaires du Québec (FCSQ) for a Québec-wide reflection on the kind of public school we want.
- What are the long-term solutions to address the shortage of qualified and licensed teachers and professionals?
- How to value the teaching profession?
- Should teacher training be reviewed?
- What twenty-first century skills do we need to teach students?
- How to improve accessibility to the public education system?
- How to interest all English Quebecers in education and to maintain a very important local educational culture in each community?
Society evolves quickly, any delay in a reflection of this magnitude will accentuate the gap between school boards and communities. QESBA along with our partners at the FCSQ invites the government to embark upon this extremely important reflection to provide Quebec with a vision of its public education system.
“Education is the cornerstone of any society, the foundation on which Québec was built. Nearly 25 years after the Estates General on Education, we should be ready to rethink and improve public education in Quebec through a comprehensive, discussion by civil society,” concluded the President.
As always, QESBA offers the government of Québec it’s support in initiatives that will ultimately benefit our students and our communities. QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec and represents 100,000 students in 340 elementary, high schools, and adult and vocational centres across Québec.