This text is part of the special Literacy notebook
To improve the literacy of the population, Quebec will have to act on the education of boys, as shown by a new study by the Literacy Foundation.
Only 69% of boys in Quebec obtain their high school diploma (DES) on time, compared to 81% of girls. “This twelve-point gap is phenomenal on a Canadian scale – in Ontario, it is six; in the Maritimes, almost zero,” warns Pierre Langlois, an economist commissioned by the Foundation to conduct studies on the subject.
However, the link between literacy and education is direct: 85% of people without DES do not reach level 3 of literacy (see box), considered minimal to function in a tertiary economy based on information.
“It’s a terrible handicap for hundreds of thousands of Quebecers and for society as a whole,” says André Huberdeau, chairman of the board of directors of the Literacy Foundation. “It results in less adaptable employees and often poorly informed citizens. The price to pay on collective judgment and the economy is enormous.”
Solutions for school
The study attributes several causes to the under-education of men: a persistent historical delay, attention disorders in boys (24.6%) which are almost double that of girls, generally lower results in reading, a greater attraction to vocational training as well as a shorter compulsory school attendance than in other provinces.
According to Pierre Langlois, there may be a year of study missing from the secondary school curriculum. Compared to Ontario, secondary school in Quebec lasts five years instead of six, and schooling in Quebec is compulsory until age 16, compared to 18 in the other province. “Those two years count for a lot,” says André Huberdeau.
The most “profitable” measure would be to make schooling compulsory until age 18, argues Mr. Langlois. “We should also prioritize general education over technical training,” he continues. “For young people who choose to pursue a vocational path before age 18, we must continue to work on literacy, which we are not doing.”
According to the researcher, Quebec would benefit from studying the Ontario school system, which is considered one of the most efficient in the world, he says. He cites the graduation gap between the Ontario town of Hawkesbury and the MRC of Papineau, which are very integrated and separated by only a bridge. “The graduation gap on both sides is around 20 percentage points.”
The differences between the two systems are numerous, he explains. Ministerial evaluations are rare in Ontario, passing marks are also lower, at 50% instead of 60%, and the grading is intended to be less punitive, since it is designed to assess teaching. “The Quebec program is much more demanding and more focused. A lot is asked of Quebec students between the ages of 15 and 17.”
Solutions for society
According to André Huberdeau, the Foundation has managed to dissect literacy statistics in such a way as to be able to paint a picture of the situation in terms of regions and MRCs and even for certain municipalities, which opens the door to actions adapted to each of them.
“My personal conviction is that the Ministry of Education is not the only one concerned. It requires better consultation with other ministries, in particular those of Employment and the Economy.”
He explains that the Foundation is also touring chambers of commerce with a message to employers, particularly those in SMEs: be careful before hiring young people full-time who do not have their DES. “These young people almost certainly have reading problems, which harms the long-term prospects of companies and individuals.”
Literacy levels, from 0 to 5
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