CEGEP students defend bilingual education
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 | 9:33 AM ET
CBC News
Students at Quebec's only English college in the Eastern Townships say they're unhappy with the Parti Québécois's goal of limiting access to education in the language.
The PQ plans to discuss access to English-language CEGEPs at a party symposium next weekend in Montreal.
Students at Champlain College in Lennoxville say the proposed restriction is worrisome, given the school's linguistic heritage.
"I think it would destroy part of what makes Champlain Champlain," said Emily Murray, a student at the CEGEP. "We're very bilingual."
The PQ has spoken out frequently about its concerns with francophone and immigrant students accessing post-secondary education in English, instead of French.
The party has said it wants stricter language rules to force the majority of students into French colleges.
That would leave Champlain in the lurch, said Murray, who is also vice-president (internal) of the Champlain Students' Association.
The college is about a 50-50 mix of English- and French-language students, and "it would be really hard to have a CEGEP with only English people in it, because there's just not enough," she said.
A growing number of Quebec students are seeking bilingual or English college education to increase their future job prospects, said Michaël Thibeault, a second-year criminology student at Champlain. ''The employment level for people who know two languages is much higher than for people who don't," said Thibeault, whose mother tongue is French. "So it's clearly an advantage for me to try and perfect my English."
"I think that you should be able to learn whatever language you want," Thibeault said. "In fact I think that by prohibiting students or even anyone from learning a second language is somewhat silly. You're really limiting what people can do.''
The PQ's language proposal for colleges is part of the party's larger plan to reinforce the French language in Quebec.
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