Students in public secondary schools who participate in specific programs will see their registration bill reduced by $200, Education Minister Jean-François Roberge announced at a press briefing on Monday.
With this investment of $29.5 million, access to special programs such as arts-studies, sports-studies and the various concentrations will be free for more than 60% of participants.
On the subject of accessibility to programs whose registration costs more than $200, the Minister for Education, Isabelle Charest, replied that the announced measure reduced the bill for students. “We will see with the first year, she continued. We will be able to better see the results on the ground. I think that’s a nice way to start. »
Minister Roberge prided himself on going “even further”, announcing the deployment of special programs in all public secondary schools, from the start of the school year in 2023. “The school landscape will change for the better”, he said. -he rocks.
“Not really” accessibility
Minister Roberge’s announcement “worries” Sylvain Martel, spokesperson for the group of independent parents’ committees of Quebec (RCPAQ). “It’s not a $200 discount that increases accessibility,” he says. This is to misunderstand accessibility. A place for all students in these programs is necessary, he argues. “It takes much deeper reflection,” says Mr. Martel.
According to Stéphane Vigneault, spokesperson for the citizen movement L’École ensemble, the $200 offered to cover registration fees is “a typical measure of a government that is in the process of catching up with public opinion on this subject”. “Special projects that are a little less selective, these are still special projects that are only accessible to some,” he argues.
Distributing an amount of money “to everyone equally” is not fair, says Sylvain Martel. “For a family that earns $100,000 a year or a family that earns $35,000, the $200 has a different impact,” he illustrates.
Sylvain Martel calls the amount allocated by the government a “back-to-school gift”. The majority of registrations for specific programs for next fall have already been made, he notes.