February 22, 2003 – Nouvelles Parc-Extension News, Montreal’s Park-Extension community newspaper

For a new Intercultural Policy

BY BARBARA LAVOIE

“The communities must be consulted,” said Diane de Courcy, school commissioner for Ahuntsic-Est and president of the Commission scolaire de Montreal (CSDM) and Mouvement pour une École Moderne et Ouverte (MÉMO).

At a press conference organized by the MÉMO and hosted by school commissioners, Diane de Courcy, Guillaume Vaillancourt and Afifa Maaninou last Thursday, February 13, 2003 at the administrative offices of the CSDM, representatives of Montreal’s media were asked to encourage as many ethno-cultural community groups as possible to participate in a public consultation on the school board’s proposed intercultural educational policy and action plan.

In November 1998, the Minister of Education and the Minster of Citizenship and Immigration launched a new project, Politique interculturelle, to support the development of intercultural policies for Québec’s educational system.

Following the guidelines proposed in the ministry’s Plan of Action for Educational Integration and Intercultural Education 1998-2002, the CSDM prepared a policy involving input from a number of sources, including: teachers, administrators, support staff, members of the intercultural relations committee and the committee of parents.

The policy outlines many of the activities and services it currently offers to help newly arrived students integrate and to educate all students on shared values and the cultural diversity of the province. It outlines a plan of action and a budget of $4 million for intercultural education.

But to date those who will be most affected, members of the community, have not been involved. De Courcy stated, “It is essential, when we define a policy and an action plan, that all viewpoints be expressed.”

School commissioners and MÉMO members, Guillaume Vaillancourt for Parc-Extension/Villerary and Afifa Maaninou for Côte-des-Neiges/Snowdon, also strongly supported the need for public input into the policy.

“I hope a lot of community organizations get involved. We can then take our time and use the $4 million on what the community organizations suggest,” said Vaillancourt.

Perhaps the best way to understand the proposed policy’s importance and impact is to consider the people that are served by the school board. With a budget close to $600 million, the CSDM provides French-language educational services to more than 87,000 students enrolled in 169 primary and secondary schools, 14 adult education and 9 vocational training centres. The CSDM area is divided into 21 districts and one elected school commissioner represents each district.

Vaillancourt, who represents the Parc-Extension/Villeray school district, when asked how the policy could affect the community said,, “If we do this right, parents would have a place in their children’s school. They would be involved and work cooperatively with the school. Research has shown that teaching children their mother tongue has had a positive influence on their school experience in Québec.”

One of the school board’s current intercultural educational programs is PELO, the teaching of language of origin. This year, a total of 1,961 students of all ages are enrolled in classes in Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Creole, Spanish, Hindi, Laotian, Portuguese, Tamil and Vietnamese.

In the Parc-Extension/Villerary district, 295 students study Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Vietnamese at École Barthélémy-Vimont, École Hélène-Bouillé, École Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense, École Saint-Jean-de-la-Croix and École Sainte-Cécile. The district includes: 20 primary and secondary schools and two adult education centres.

MÉMO, a coalition party involving nine out of the 21 school commissioners, was formed in 1987 to lobby for improvements to the educational system. In response to the proposed intercultural policy, it encourages groups and individuals to provide their ideas and solutions on particular aspects of the policy they feel are important.

The public consultation invites discussion on a variety of topics including: PELO, the language of origin education; communication between the school and parents; French language education for adults; ethno-cultural education of all CSDM staff; integration and contact between immigrant children and children born in Québec; use of the $4 million intercultural education budget; students with learning disabilities; and, academic performance of children from different ethnic communities.

Of the five school boards in Montreal, three French and two English, three have completed the development and approval of intercultural policies - Lester B. Pearson School Board, English Montreal School Board and Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys.

Following the public consultation process, the policy will be revised, tabled for approval by the CSDM and then forwarded to the minister of education by the end of the school year.

De Courcy noted, “More than 200 invitations were sent to community organizations across the Montreal region. We encourage everyone to come to the meeting and to offer ideas and solutions.”

The public meeting is planned for March 10, 2003 in Room 534 at the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), 3737 Sherbrooke St. E., Montréal. The time has not yet been determined. Members of the community who are unable to attend in person are invited to send their comments to Diane de Courcy at ddecourcy@hotmail.com.

For more information, contact MÉMO at telephone 596-7541, check their web site at www.memo.qc.ca/ or contact your district school commissioner.