Ukrainian students go to school in French, Quebec slice

Mary-Eve Morasse
Press

The French language charter provides that children must attend French-language school until the end of their secondary education, unless they are exempt.

“Rene Lewesk and Camille Lorraine have concluded that there is a humanitarian provision for education in the Anglophone system in the French language charter. There is an excellent opportunity here to use such a provision,” said Dan Lamorex, president of the Association of English School Boards of Quebec (ACSAQ), in a press release issued Tuesday.

Nine English school boards said many of these students “already have a lot” were undoubtedly English as a second language and urged the government to “show mercy”.

Quebec quickly closed the door to this request. Education Minister Jean-Franకోois Roberz said the province had a “welcome mandate” for students and that it could “do so in French-speaking schools in accordance with the French language charter.”

Act 101 applies to “all newcomers regardless of the language used in the country of origin”.

School service centers are used to receive students from different countries and they are ready to welcome students from Ukraine, said Jean-Franకోois Roberz.

“We have narrator services, psychosocial services, you have everything you need to properly welcome these people, reassure them and integrate them into the Quebec community,” the minister said.

Quebec said last week that there was “no limit” to the number of Ukrainian refugees welcome into the province. At the Ministry of Education, it was explained that it is currently not possible to estimate how many new students Quebec schools will have.

“The ministry is closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that Ukrainian students benefit from all the support needed for their unification, just as their parents chose Quebec as their host country,” ministry spokesman Brian Saint-Louis wrote. Read, Press Last week.