Last week, Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette stood in front of a recently constructed high school in Saint-Zotique, Que., for an education-related announcement.
But what stood out wasn’t so much her promise to invest $1,000 in the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) of every child born in Quebec, but a comment she made about the province’s school system.
When asked if she believed there was a three-tier system in Quebec, Fréchette answered: “Not really.”
The three-tier system refers to the different educational pathways that are available to students and includes subsidized private schools, public schools with specialized educational programs and regular public schools.
Fréchette’s comments came one day after Montreal public health officials released a report highlighting how the organization of this very system — which has long been criticized as being unfair and giving some children more opportunities than others — exacerbates health inequalities among young people in the city.
According to the study, the disparities are particularly significant between the private and public sectors, but also within the public system itself, between regular and specialized programs.
While regular classes must accommodate all students, access to specialized programs and private schools can be subject to various selection criteria, including academic performance and, often, families’ financial resources.
Public stream students at higher risk of dropping out
Dr. Mylène Drouin, who heads Montreal Public Health, told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin that young people facing academic difficulties and coming from disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly affected by these disparities.
“It is these students who bear the brunt of the impact on their health and their chances of pursuing post-secondary education,” she said.
Data for 2023-24, cited in the public health report, shows a notable gap in graduation and qualification rates between students from private schools (92.5 per cent) and those in the public system (79.8 per cent).
Similarly, students from the most advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds showed higher graduation and qualification rates at 88.8 per cent than the most disadvantaged students at 63.9 per cent.
The report focused on key areas, including school experience, self-esteem and health and lifestyle habits, among others.
According to the report, public school students face greater challenges across all health metrics than their private school peers, reporting lower self-esteem, poorer perceived health, higher rates of mental health diagnoses, and less active, nutritious lifestyles.
Drouin also pointed out that the risk of dropping out is three times higher for students in the public system than those in the private system.
The report raises questions on the ability of the education system to fully play its role in reducing social inequalities and upholding the principle of equal opportunity, and Drouin said the situation warrants wider reflection.
“How do we ensure that young people — whether they are facing academic difficulties or come from disadvantaged backgrounds — have access to quality educational resources, support measures, and an environment that gives them an equal chance of graduating, while also fostering good mental and physical health?”
Time for denial is over, says union
Fréchette’s comments on the province’s education system drew the ire of several union leaders, as well as Québec Solidaire, who accused the CAQ leader of being out of touch.
Québec Solidaire (QS) co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal took aim at the leader of the CAQ from the campaign trail following the release of the report.
“I mean, it’s unbelievable — how can Christine Fréchette be so in denial of reality? Does public health investigate and issue reports on phenomena that don’t exist?”
Québec Solidaire has been outspoken on the issue, with former co-spokesperson Gabriel-Nadeau Dubois having said the province’s education system was broken and unfair.
He pointed to private school subsidies and selective programs as drivers of social segregation and advocated for the end of a three-tier system. Ghazal has promised that if elected, the party would do just that.
Mélanie Hubert, president of the Fédération autonome de l’enseignment (FAE) – a group of nine unions representing around 60,000 teachers – said in a news release that the “time for denying the existence of a three-tier school system is over.”
She said Drouin’s report serves as yet another wake-up call to establish a genuine societal project for public education.
Hubert reiterated the federation’s demands to establish a unified school system – one in which public funding for private schools would require that they partner with or integrate the public system.
Where do the parties stand on consultations?
Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ, which represents teachers in both the private and public sectors, said during a news conference on Wednesday that the CSQ was gobsmacked by Fréchette’s denial but that integrating private schools into the public system isn’t necessarily that simple — and the gains not that significant.
Instead, he repeated calls for the various political parties to commit to holding a broad consultation on education, involving all stakeholders, including private schools.
“Investing in education isn’t just about making piecemeal announcements; it’s also about addressing the fundamental issues,” he said.
When unveiling its education platform, the Parti Québécois promised to launch a broad public consultation within its first 100 days in office. The party said it was long overdue with the province’s last major examination of its school system held in the 1960s.
QS and the Quebec Liberal Party have also said it is something they would do.
The CAQ, however, is opposed to the idea, saying it would delay the implementation of necessary reforms.
One week into the provincial election campaign, our weekly election panel takes a closer look at the key developments so far. Le Devoir columnist Emilie Nicolas and CBC News political analyst Antonine Yaccarini break down the events from the past week and look ahead to what could shape the campaign in the days to come.
Private schools launch campaign
Meanwhile, the province’s federation of private schools launched a campaign earlier this week which aims to highlight the importance of diverse educational pathways in meeting students’ needs.
The campaign emphasizes the private school system isn’t in competition with its public counterpart, but rather serves to complement it. It also aims to debunk certain myths related to funding and selection criteria.
Private schools, it says, accommodate students with special needs, with one in four primary school students and one in five secondary school students having an intervention plan.
The federation also points out that the quasi-totality of private schools are non-profits and government subsidies are tied to students and not the school.
