French immersion advocate worried about the future of N.B. programs
An advocate for French immersion in New Brunswick is worried the government has a plan to get rid of early immersion programs.
New Brunswick is reviewing how French as a second language is taught in schools.
The province appointed two commissioners to chair the study in July after results from a 2005 assessment showed the regular French curriculum and immersion French were not producing fluent French speakers.
Walter Lee, president of the New Brunswick branch of Canadian Parents for French, said he is concerned about the terms of reference inthe current study. He said he believes when the review is completed,it will recommend early French immersion be eliminated.
"These terms of reference are basically a series of statements the review is supposed to investigate but the statements itself are flawed and based on misconceptions of early French immersion and French second language in general."
Lee said he can't understand why the current Liberal government is going ahead with this review rather than following up on the 2006 Rehorick report on French second language programs completed by professors at the University of New Brunswick.
That report indicates N.B.'s intensive French program is a good way to improve the core French program but should not be seen as a replacement to early immersion.
It also said as long as there are adequate resource teachers in the education system, there is no reason children with special needs can't be successful in French immersion.
Core French is a non-immersion program program that makes learning the language a mandatory subject for students in Grade 1 to 10 and as an elective in their upper high school years.
Intensive French is an alternative approach to second language instruction thatprovides students in Grade 5 with the opportunity to have intensive language instruction for a five-month period.
The research supports the continuation of early immersion in New Brunswick, said Lee.
No decisions made: minister
Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said no decisions have been made about the future of French immersion.
The government just wants some additional research and expects to have a report from the commissioners by the end of January, Lamrock said.
But Lee questions the overall outcome of that research.
"If you can't trust the research by the leading second language institute which is based at UNB [University of New Brunswick] here in New Brunswick — if you can't trust their research, then what can you trust from a commission that seems to me to be driven by a political agenda?" asked Lee.
He said his group wants to play a larger part in shaping the second language programming and the Education Department doesn't have enough staff to effectively deliver the programs.