Teachers worry Legault government playing politics with upcoming changes to school curriculum
CBC
The Legault government will soon unveil details about a new course in its curriculum, and teachers are worried it will present a narrow view of Quebec society.
The new course will focus on Quebec culture and citizenship.
It will replace the Ethics and Religious Culture program, also known as ERC, which has been in place since 2008. It's often been criticized by Quebec nationalists who say it promotes multiculturalism instead of what they consider to be Quebec values.
Premier François Legault kicked off a session of the National Assembly earlier this week, with the next provincial election less than a year away.
During his speech, Legault said scrapping the ERC program for a class on culture and citizenship will help ensure "national cohesion."
"This national cohesion is very precious and must be cultivated from childhood," the premier said during his speech.
"We must pass on to our youth more knowledge about our history, our culture, and the functioning of Quebec society. We must transmit a feeling of pride, of shared citizenship."
Education Minister Jean-François Roberge is expected to reveal what to expect in the new school program during a news conference on Sunday.
Last year, Roberge said the current program, which is taught from elementary through high school, puts too much emphasis on religion. The new program, he said, would include include topics like citizen participation, democracy, legal education, sexuality, interpersonal relationships, ethics and eco- and digital-citizenship.
The topic of religions is still expected to be included in the course.
The new program is set to be taught in some schools next year as part of a pilot project, and it will be primary and secondary schools across Quebec as of 2023.
For Sabrina Jafralie, the head teacher of ethics and religion at Westmount High School, the government is clearly looking to score political points with the new program.
"Isn't that evident right now? We're coming into a provincial election year and it seems again that the death of [the Ethics and Religious Culture program] is being used as a political chess play," said Jafralie.
"ERC is a course that is not paid attention to. Teachers are underdeveloped. They're always given ERC at the end of their schedules. And all of a sudden it's at the forefront of national cohesion."
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