Young caquists say they want to bring back a “culture of civics” to schools.
At their congress, which will be held in Saint-Hyacinthe on September 7, they will propose to generalize the wearing of uniforms in secondary schools and to impose the formal “vous” from the 5th grade onwards.e primary school year.
They also want students guilty of violence and bullying, as well as their parents, to be required to attend training aimed at “repairing their actions” and “changing their behavior.”
In addition, teachers and staff should be able to impose, without fear of reprisal, “community work with a restorative perspective,” the proposal booklet reads.
The young CAQ members say they have noticed a “deterioration of the climate in the classrooms.” According to them, it is the teachers and students who want to learn who are the losers.
In an open letter published Thursday, the president of the CAQ’s Commission de la relève, Aurélie Diep, expressed concern that “the right to education of all students” is being called into question.
“When a noisy minority causes disturbance, it is all those who want to educate themselves who pay the price,” she laments, saying she hopes that the government will really “change course.”
“Schools must have the powers to impose appropriate sanctions,” she writes.
“Those who break the rules, disrupt the class or intimidate their classmates must be brought to heel,” the young CAQ members say in their working document.
They deplore that “too often, schools have their hands tied or restrict their disciplinary interventions for fear of reprisals.”
“(Schools) must have the necessary latitude to do their work so that the code of conduct is respected,” they insist.
In his letter, Mr.me Diep denounces the “disengagement” of parents, who “systematically” defend their children, even when they are in the wrong, according to her.
Furthermore, during their congress, which will have as its theme “The School we love”, the young caquistes will propose to establish programs for obtaining a secondary school diploma in four or six years.
They say they reject the “traditional” model of school, this “single mold”, because students no longer find their way there.
“Between gifted students and those with learning difficulties, those aiming for higher education and those destined for specialized professions, (the school) must offer a path adapted to each one,” they maintain.