Education minister must stop misleading the public

Daily Gleaner, Letter to the Editor, Published Monday June 2nd, 2008

The headline reads "There's more to immersion reform than cuts - Lamrock."

In this story, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock insinuated that people who are concerned about the changes to French second language education are overlooking the bilingual learning environment policy, what he termed his "hidden X factor."

Apparently this is a well-known policy that all New Brunswickers should know about.

From the article, we are to understand that anglophone teachers in the anglophone school system will be required to integrate "conversational French opportunities into school life." It also adds responsibility on anglophone "school principals to provide programming to introduce students to bilingual and French culture in New Brunswick."

Here is what the backgrounder on Improvements to FSL Programs says about FSL in elementary schools:

"A new policy on Bilingual Learning Environments will be developed which will require ... principals of elementary schools to provide co-curricular programming introducing students to the bilingual and French culture in New Brunswick."

How are anglophone teachers in the anglophone elementary school system going to integrate "co-curricular programming introducing students to the bilingual and French culture in New Brunswick" into their classrooms, when no French is taught until Grade 5? And, even if they could, when would they have time?

They are now mandated to add the extra minutes of physical education, art and music to the curriculum? This doesn't even factor in the effect that the additional standardized tests are going to have on the students and the teachers.

This policy is not something those who are pro-EFI are overlooking; it doesn't even exist for the public to review.

It's time for Lamrock to stop confusing the public with statements that are inaccurate and misleading and rescind his changes to French second language education.

Jennifer Doucette, Fredericton