Author
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Topic: "New Brunswick takes a step backward"
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toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280
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posted 01 April 2008 08:48 AM
http://tinyurl.com/2um4x5 quote: The Liberal government of New Brunswick has puzzled and angered almost everyone - parents, teachers and language experts - by insisting on abolishing early French-language-immersion classes for anglophone pupils. The government says early immersion, currently an option for anglophone pupils starting in Grade 1, is not producing fluently bilingual graduates at the end of Grade 12.It claims the $19 million it devotes to French-language immersion in early English education should be spent instead on dragging New Brunswick out of its current worst-in-Canada ranks in reading and mathematics. Neither contention is persuasive, or even relevant. If the sole criterion for educational spending were the emergence 12 years along of perfectly-formed mathematicians, historians, essay-writers and French speakers, the temptation would be to shut down the school system altogether. No school system can guarantee such results ...
From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004
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Yibpl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 14791
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posted 05 April 2008 03:31 PM
quote: Originally posted by Ken Burch: ...This proposal proves that the NB Liberals never really gave a damn about francophones and is no longer worthy of their support.
??? Francophones do not send their children to french immersion, Anglos do. Crash course on NB voting patterns: Anglos split their vote 60 - 40 between the PCs and Liberals, francophones (who are a minority yet still get about 1/3 of the seats in the legislature) tend to vote in a block. Both the Liberals and PCs cater to the french because whoever wins them picks up nearly all of their seats and worse case scenario still picks up 40% or so of the anglo ridings and forms a majority government. Francophones at best are apathetic about french immersion and at worst resent it because they fear it could produce bilingual anglophones who could conceivable compete for plumb governemnt jobs with their children. Anglos tend to send their children to french immersion hoping to make them eligible for government jobs. But they are increasingly dubious about french immersion as more and more government positions are designated not just bilingual essential but also require "an understanding of french language and CULTURE", code for English need not apply. I am afraid this issue will not be much of a hay maker for the NDP, or anyone else for that matter.
From: Urban Alberta, wishing I was in Kananaskis | Registered: Dec 2007
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toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280
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posted 22 April 2008 04:52 AM
"Citizen's group formed over FSL decision"http://tinyurl.com/4lxvmz quote: Spurred by concern over significant changes in public education, a group of New Brunswickers has formed Citizens for Educational Choice.They're requesting, through the Right to Information Act, documentation about the province's decision last month to implement a French second language model, mandatory for all elementary school students, that eliminates the choice of early French immersion. The grassroots volunteer group, based in Fredericton, consists not only of parents, teachers, students and academics, but grandparents, business leaders, retirees, civil servants and other taxpayers including anglophones and francophones ...
From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004
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toddsschneider
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6280
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posted 12 June 2008 09:26 AM
"N.B. to review decision to end early French immersion"http://tinyurl.com/6gq6cz quote: SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A New Brunswick court has decided to allow a judicial review of the province's controversial decision to end early French immersion.Court of Queen's Bench Justice Hugh McClellan made the announcement Wednesday in an oral judgment. On May 14, two New Brunswick parents filed affidavits with the court asking for a review of the education minister's decision to end early French immersion ...
From: Montreal, Canada | Registered: Jun 2004
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