Higgs government considers moving French immersion entry point again

The Higgs government is opening the door to another change to the French immersion entry point, making it the fourth straight provincial administration in a decade to grapple with the issue.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy launched a multi-pronged public consultation that he says is designed to address flaws in the existing immersion system, which is not producing enough bilingual graduates.

He said moving the immersion entry point again is a possibility.

Cardy cited the auditor-general's recent finding that the rushed return to a Grade 1 entry point by the previous Liberal government meant many immersion teachers lack the proficiency to teach French.

There is a crisis in the education system that I would be irresponsible to not use my position as minister to address.- Dominic Cardy, Education Minister

Among Grade 1 and 2 teachers, 41 percent lack it, Cardy said, though his department was unable to document that figure by the end of the day Wednesday.

He also said the vast majority of high-needs, kindergarten-to-Grade 2 students with personalized learning plans, 97 per cent, are not in immersion, creating an imbalance in the system.

"These numbers speak for themselves," Cardy said. "They show that there is a crisis in the education system that I would be irresponsible to not use my position as minister to address."

But he also said it's not a foregone conclusion he'll recommend moving the entry point back to Grade 3.

"I'm not going to be prejudging the outcomes of this consultation today," he said. "That would undermine it if the minister said at the beginning what he wants to do."

The consultation will include an online survey of New Brunswickers and discussions with experts and teachers.

Auditor-General Kim MacPherson also warned in her audit that there had been too many reforms in the education system in recent years and that the system needed stability to produce better results.

But Cardy said that doesn't preclude changes if they're necessary.

"I am very confident that she didn't mean stability in a plane that was heading rapidly toward the ground," he said. "She meant getting that plane flying straight and level."

Liberal MLA Chuck Chiasson said the shortage of immersion teachers exists across the country, so it's no reason to move the Grade 1 entry point again.

"We can't necessarily scrap that right now because we have a shortage of teachers."

Robert Fowler, the chair of the Anglophone South District Education Council and the head of a council of all provincial district education council chairs, welcomed the consultation, though he said the chairs are "a little split" on the possible entry point change.

"The elephant in the room is the stability question," he said. "Some are concerned that may be upsetting the apple cart further."

George Daley of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association said his organization opposes another change "because it does create more upheaval in the system."

The association also argued against the Liberals moving the entry point to Grade 1 for the same reason.

He said he was glad Cardy isn't committed to the change and also wants a broader look at how French is taught overall.

"There is a bigger conversation about French second-language programming in the province that does need to be head," he said.

Daley also questioned some of the statistics the minister cited.

Cardy quoted MacPherson's report that only 10 per cent of the students who started immersion in 2004 graduated with advanced French.Daley said 87 per cent graduated with a rating of intermediate-plus in the language.

In history

The Liberal government of Shawn Graham launched an overhaul of French second-language programs in 2008 under then-education minister Kelly Lamrock, who is now an adviser to the Progressive Conservative government of Blaine Higgs.

Lamrock first tried for a universal French program in Grade 5, with students able to choose immersion the following year. But in the face of protests and a court challenge, the Liberals established a Grade 3 entry point for immersion instead.

The PCs opposed the change at the time and launched a public consultation when they took office in 2010. That process recommended a move back to Grade 1, but the Tories didn't implement it.

Meanwhile, the Liberals reversed their stance under Brian Gallant's leadership and restored the Grade 1 entry point in 2017.

At the same time, the PCs abandoned their support for Grade 1 and came out against Gallant's changes, arguing that it was happening too fast and there hadn't been enough time to measure if Grade 3 was working.

MacPherson said last month that any future changes to immersion should have a realistic implementation schedule and should consider staffing and training requirements as well as the risk it might create for more disruption.

The deadline for public input is March 31 and Cardy said he wants to move "quickly" after that to make decisions.

He said he wants to ensure "there's enough time to make sure the education system is able to handle those with as much ease as possible for the coming school year."