The vast majority of Quebec parents are in favor of the implementation of the Finnish model in education, in which 100% subsidized private schools welcome students from their neighborhood, without selection or tuition fees.
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This is at least one of the conclusions of a survey carried out in February by the firm CROP among 1,000 parents of children aged 20 or under, at the request of the École ensemble movement, which is campaigning for a system of more equal education.
The parents interviewed had to comment on the Finnish model, an education system that includes both public and private schools.
These two types of establishments are free and 100% subsidized. They welcome all students from their neighborhood without selection and offer them a choice of specific projects, at no additional cost. Private schools have, however, retained their autonomous and independent status, which distinguishes them from public schools.
Among the respondents to this survey, 85% consider this model “fairly” or “very” interesting, while 95% are even in favor of implementing it in Quebec.
Rethink the system
Stéphane Vigneault, coordinator of the École ensemble movement, is delighted with this “extremely high” support from parents. Other results also reflect “a strong desire” to rethink the Quebec education system, he adds.
The pandemic and the inequalities engendered by online education have contributed to this, according to him.
“Fracture lines that we had forgotten came out more clearly. This is true in health, but also in education,” says Mr. Vigneault.
For the School Together movement, which has documented the situation elsewhere in the world, Finland represents a “very interesting” model. In the 1970s, Finnish private schools “left behind their vision of exclusivity” to participate in the education of all students with the success that we know today, he explains.
His organization will present in the coming weeks a proposal “aiming to ensure equal opportunities in education”, which will be inspired by the Finnish model.
“Quebec is not Finland and the plan we are going to propose will be adapted to our legal and historical context,” he says. But of course we are going to want to combine fairness and excellence like in Finland”.
This desire to achieve a more egalitarian education system is shared by a dozen players in the education community who hope that this proposal will lead to a “great collective discussion” on these issues.