MONTREAL – At the same time as the Parti Québécois is discussing banning francophones and allophones from attending English-language CEGEPs, directors of Montreal’s two elite private colleges are taking steps to bring the communities together.
Next year, Marianopolis College and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf will launch a student exchange program that will have interested students spend their last semester at the other CEGEP in an effort to improve their language skills.
An ideal candidate to study at Brébeuf would be an anglophone or allophone who has been educated mostly at English schools, but is committed to becoming fluent in French, said Len Even, Marianopolis’s director general.
Marianopolis students will learn more about Quebec culture and make contacts in the French-speaking community, he said.
"We think it will strengthen their ties to the province and help them operate successfully in the province," Evan said. "Learning French and becoming fluent in French enhances their marketability and their opportunities."
The directors of both CEGEPs began discussing the idea last year as part of a plan to increase bilingualism levels of their students.
Even said he hopes 30 students will enrol in the exchange program in its first year, 15 from each school.
Russell Flanagan, Brébeuf’s director of human resources, said the program is an excellent way for young francophones and anglophones to experience each other’s culture.
"For the Montrealer who is cultured and educated, the sharing of the culture of the ‘other community’ is part of their life," Flanagan said.
"I used to work at McGill and now I am at Brébeuf."
The exchange program will be presented to incoming students at open houses next week.
Students participating in the program will study in their subject area in the other language and will complete their diplomas on time.
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