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Quebec Schooling Minister Jean-François Roberge has unveiled the brand new curriculum that may substitute the province’s present ethics and spiritual tradition program.
The brand new program, known as Quebec Citizenship and Tradition, represents a “main transformation” and can embrace a deal with vital pondering, the minister mentioned. The present program, which is called ERC and is obligatory for college students, has been in place since 2008.
The brand new curriculum is about to be taught in some colleges subsequent 12 months as a part of a pilot challenge and it will likely be in elementary and excessive colleges throughout Quebec as of 2023.
Within the part about tradition, college students will probably be taught in regards to the foundations of Quebec society, “its evolution, its ambassadors, in addition to its key works,” the province mentioned in an announcement launched in French on Sunday.
“This can enable college students to know the tradition wherein they function and perceive that every society is influenced by a distinct cultural context and that’s what makes a tradition distinct,” the assertion went on.
“It’s subsequently the responsibility of every nation to guard and promote its tradition, heritage and particularities.”
Media literacy & intercourse training
Within the citizenship part, this system will train “the elemental ideas of civic life, corresponding to respect for self and others, freedom of expression and conscience, equality between all and secularism,” in accordance with the assertion.
“These values are on the coronary heart of the struggles which might be pricey to us, such because the struggle towards sexism, racism and homophobia.”
Problems with intercourse training, together with consent and sexual exploitation, will even be addressed in this system together with media literacy, which “will make them flush out faux information and develop a extra accountable use of social media.”
The ultimate part of this system touches on vital pondering, dialogue and ethics.
College students will probably be taught to assume by means of ethical dilemmas and consider social, non secular, cultural and scientific norms.
“On this time when censorship is taking on extra space in our society, it’s important to defend freedom of expression and to equip our younger folks to permit them to argue with respect,” he mentioned.
Roberge mentioned this system “prepares the younger folks of Quebec to the train of citizenship.”
“I’m satisfied that the subsequent generations could have the required instruments to train their Quebec citizenship and face the challenges of tomorrow,” he added.
Earlier than its implementation, the Quebec Citizenship and Tradition course will probably be submitted to “rigorous” vetting from numerous committees and community companions in training.
A controversial course
The outdated ECR curriculum was launched by the Charest Liberal authorities. It has been a flashpoint within the debate over non secular lodging.
Members of Quebec’s secularism motion argued ethics and spiritual tradition shouldn’t be mixed in a single course and may lead college students to conclude it is not doable to behave ethically with out non secular perception.
Some Catholic dad and mom, in addition to dad and mom of different faiths, did not need their youngsters studying ethics and comparative non secular beliefs exterior of their very own ethical and spiritual framework and argued that making this system obligatory was unconstitutional and infringed on their non secular freedom.
That argument was finally heard by the Supreme Court docket of Canada, the place it was rejected in a ruling that mentioned exposing youngsters to varied religions didn’t represent a violation of elementary rights.
Final 12 months, Roberge mentioned the present program places an excessive amount of emphasis on faith.
Outdated program had emphasis on variety
Anthony Cooperwood, who teaches the ERC program at Rosemount Excessive College in Montreal, says he welcomes the concept of serving to college students turn into proud Quebecers, however he says curriculum modifications that have an effect on what will get mentioned and what does not make him nervous.
He says the present program helps college students perceive the variety that surrounds them each day.
“If I am sitting subsequent to a child and he or she’s sporting a hijab, and I am sitting subsequent to a different child and that child is sporting the Star of David round his neck, and I’ve received one other child and he is received a cross round his neck, I’ve received three religions round me,” he mentioned.
Cooperwood says additionally he is involved the province’s new program will be, in some methods, redundant.
“If we’re speaking about selling the delight of Quebec tradition, I do know that there are courses that exist already that concentrate on the historical past of Quebec,” he mentioned.
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