On June 1, the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation held its general assembly under the theme The role of the State and priorities in education for the next decade. At this assembly, members of the Conseil and its commissions attended conferences and participated in workshops dealing with the report on the state and needs of education. Thanks to an overview presented by Céline Saint-Pierre, participants were also informed about the various activities carried out by the Conseil and the contributions made by all those involved in its work.

 

Speakers provided food for thought

To kick off the event, Claude Corbo spoke about the progress achieved so far by the committee he chairs, which is in charge of preparing the 2000-2001 report on the State’s role in education. This report is to be presented to the Minister of Education in December. His presentation served as a starting point for the workshops that followed on educational prorities. Four speakers shared their thoughts on different education-related topics. Jean-Pierre Proulx addressed the issue of public and parent satisfaction with the school system. In particular, he talked about the role the media play in forming public opinion on education. Gretta Chambers spoke of the educational concerns specific to the English-speaking community. She reminded her audience that, although this community represents only 10 per cent of the clientele, services must be provided throughout the Québec territory, which creates its own set of challenges. In the absence of Paul Inchauspé, Céline Saint-Pierre delivered his speech. Mr. Inchauspé concurred with the findings of the Estates General on Education, emphasizing the need to review the place of vocational education in the education system. He argued how important it was that vocational education not be perceived as a preserve of adults. Rather, it should be considered a normal educational option for young people— not an exceptional one, as is currently the case. Finally, Pierre Lucier highlighted the main strategic issues for universities in the context of globalization and the use of new information and communications technologies.

 

Workshops reflected fundamental concerns

Grouped into eight workshops, members of the Conseil and its commissions discussed priorities in education and identified concerns that should be included on the next agenda of the committee preparing the 2001-2002 annual report on the state and needs of education. They hope this committee will give priority to the examination of concerns related to the foundations of the education system or considered essential to its proper functioning.

The 2001-2002 report will follow up on the 2000-2001 report.

These fundamental concerns stem from the following three objectives:

• to ensure equal opportunities for everyone, both in terms of educational success and access to educational services in the regions
• to make sure the primary mission of educational institutions focuses on a view of educational success that goes beyond a mere rendering of accounts based on the graduation rate
• to promote lifelong learning as one of the foundations of education in a knowledge-based society

In addition to these fundamental concerns, two additional aspects were considered essential to the development of education in Québec: support for the implementation of the reform, and the recruitment, training and ongoing professional development of teachers. Finally, participants in several workshops underscored the urgency to take corrective measures and make the necessary adjustments to the education system so as to make vocational education more accessible to young people as a legitimate educational choice among the options available to them in the last cycle of secondary school.

The workshops produced some rich and fruitful discussions; we therefore felt it was important to communicate the main points to Panorama readers. Indeed, workshop participants brought to light some of the genuine concerns of those who are involved in the education system on a daily basis.

Panorama • Volume 6, Number 3 • November 2001