Parents camp out overnight in Salmon Arm for french immersion spots

The path to a french education in this province is littered with long waiting lists and disappointed parents.

Nowhere is there a better illustration of the problem than in Salmon Arm right now.

A group of parents has been lining up and camping out since Sunday just for a chance at securing a spot for their kids in french immersion.

Some parents have been in line since Sunday at 10:00 p.m. and spent the first night outside in a tent on the sidewalk.

Last night, school officials let parents sleep inside.

It’s the only way to make sure their child gets into french immersion kindergarten next September and it’s far from an isolated problem.

“It’s happening around the province. We estimate there are 23 communities around province where demand is exceeding supply,” says Glyn Lewis, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French B.C. & Yukon.

French immersion grows every year in B.C.

Last year, almost 49,000 students were enrolled, compared to about 30,000 a decade ago.

Some districts do line ups; others use a call in system.

Either way, it’s a lottery; some can’t get in like in Surrey last month.

“We’re providing significant french immersion programs. If districts feel they need to increase that, then I encourage them to do that,” says education minister Peter Fassbender.

In Salmon Arm’s case, it decided against adding a class.

“If we had at our parent info meeting, if we had 66 kids, we would look at a third class for sure but that’s never happened,” says Wendy Woodhurst of School District #83.

The good news is, there’s a dozen spots available for french immersion in Salmon Arm this year and only 10 parents lining up. Sign up starts tomorrow morning.

— with files from Randene Neill