QUEBEC CITY – After months of defending Bill 86, the Quebec government abandoned its plan for school board reform.
It’s now also re-thinking a project to introduce pre-kindergarten and extend the school age to 18.
The sudden change of heart has outraged opposition parties, who insist the government has lost all credibility.
In an unexpected shout-out to Quebec’s English-speaking schools, Premier Philippe Couillard praised Anglophone students’ success in front of party faithfuls at a weekend-long General Council in Drummondville.
“The way they conducted their school boards and their schools is the way to go for all Quebecers,” he cheered.
READ MORE: Premier calls for French schools in Quebec to follow English lead
The government said weeks of public hearings on Bill 86, particularly with Anglophone school boards, showed it that getting rid of school board elections wouldn’t increase Quebec’s graduation rate.
Education minister Sébastien Proulx called the bill a distraction and said he plans to draft new legislation.
“Poof! Surprise,” said Parti Québécois education critic, Alexandre Cloutier, in response to the government’s sudden change of mind.
“I want to know where the government is going, I mean, we have no clue.”
“We have just tabled a budget and those measures that are supposed to be in it are not. So, obviously they have no idea what they’re doing.”
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At its General Council, the Liberal Party also approved a motion to make pre-kindergarten available to all four-year-olds and to keep kids in school either until the age of 18, or until they’ve earned a high school diploma.
“Do it, do it,” said Jean-François Roberge, CAQ education critic.
He then added: “Mr. Couillard doesn’t have any credibility on education.”
However, the government insists it has a clear plan on education, even though it’s changed.
“I want to adopt a policy on school success. I hope we’ll be able to have consultations this fall to identify the ways we can improve our graduation rate,” Proulx explained Monday at a National Assembly hearing.
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