Province creates fund for French-language education expansion

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This article was published 13/07/2023 (827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Boniface University is adding seats to its teachers college and launching a new educational assistant certificate program to bolster the ranks of francophone and French-speaking professionals in schools across the province.

The Manitoba government announced Thursday the creation of a new $10-million fund to support the expansion of educational opportunities for “high-demand occupations” in sectors ranging from health care to mining.

A total of $1.5 million in recurring funding has been earmarked to train teachers and support staff, as school divisions grapple with high demand for French instruction and a shortage of professionals, especially in rural and northern parts of the province.

The teachers college is expected to grow by 20 spots, so up to 90 candidates can be accepted into the two-year program on an annual basis. The latter offering, which includes 10 courses, will launch in the fall with 30 seats available.

“This is not a copy-and-paste of what’s happening in English,” Sophie Bouffard, president of the Winnipeg-based francophone university, said when reached by videoconference Thursday.

“There’s a linguistic and cultural reality that comes with the (K-12 francophone and French immersion) program in education and so, we need to adapt our educational programs to that reality.”

Some EAs employed in francophone and immersion classrooms have graduated from English schooling programs at Red River College Polytechnic or University of Winnipeg, among other options. Others’ resumés lack formal school support staff training.

There are about 1,000 teaching assistants between the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine and immersion schools across Manitoba that do not have any French-language certification, per a recent study undertaken by USB and public education partners.

While all EAs must complete child abuse registry and criminal record checks, divisions and private schools determine their own hiring requirements.

USB’s “auxiliaire d’enseignement” courses will be offered in-person and online to ensure flexibility, Bouffard said.

The initial rollout is being tailored to existing EAs who will have the opportunity to complete classes in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Admissions will open to the general public this time next year, and the program will be condensed to one year for incoming students.

Manitoba Advanced Education Minister Sarah Guillemard was not available for an interview Thursday.

In a news release, Guillemard said the funding commitment reflects the province’s dedication to preserving and growing French language and culture.

“Training French-speaking teachers and teacher assistants will help to grow our bilingual workforce to help meet the needs of local businesses experiencing labour shortages,” the minister added.

The latest expansion means enrolment in the francophone teachers college will have doubled over the last decade. Prior to 2016, USB was welcoming between 35 and 45 teacher candidates every year.

While the president of the francophone teachers association applauded the developments, she said addressing staffing issues is more complex than growing admissions targets.

“We don’t necessarily have students graduating from our high school programs who are banging down the door at (USB) to enter the education profession; I think part of the problem is they see what’s happening in schools right now,” said spokeswoman Lillian Klausen.

Class sizes are on the rise and EA rosters are shrinking, she said, adding that combination does not translate into good working conditions.

Klausen said she hopes the province puts aside money to eliminate the red tape teachers who have trained out of province face when it comes to seeking certification.

The NDP issued a statement calling into question the Progressive Conservatives’ support for francophone and immersion instruction, citing the government’s decision to cut an assistant deputy minister responsible for the file and reduce $300,000 in funding to USB.

“French-language education is suffering after years of PC cuts,” NDP education critic Nello Altomare said. “Today’s announcement is just another empty election-year promise.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie