Report recommends more French courses in English-language CEGEPS & Universities

More courses in French are needed in English-language universities, says French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil. In his opinion, too many students choose to pursue higher education in English.

“The current proportion, where more than one in five students 22.4 per cent study in English at college and university, seems to us to be too high,” he asserts in his latest report, tabled Wednesday in the National Assembly, which aims to propose several avenues to halt the decline of French in Quebec.

In his view, the government should set itself the target of “85 per cent French-language instruction in higher education, with the aim of gradually increasing the place of this language.”

In his report, he proposes a series of measures to achieve this, including increasing the number of French-language courses in English-language universities.

Commissioner Dubreuil explains that, for the same program, there could be two branches: one entirely in English with limited places, and another containing – “perhaps 30 per cent” – courses in French and open to all.

“I think we can introduce some teaching in French, without destabilizing the establishment’s business model. And the young person who prefers to study mainly in English will still have a certain number of courses, but which will enable him to learn the terminology. And in these courses, he’ll make sure that his French remains active,” he said at a press briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

He also said that capping the number of places in English-language CEGEPs, as provided for in Bill 96, could help achieve the 85 per cent target. Dubreuil also mentions that increasing the number of international students in French-language institutions would be beneficial.

Bill 101 at CEGEP?

But what about the idea of extending Bill 101 to CEGEPs? The Commissioner asserts that this “legitimate” proposal could help “strengthen the French language.”

“However, we believe that the proposal we are putting forward is more relevant. Firstly, it concerns all higher education. This is important because our studies show that the issue is not specific to colleges, but concerns universities just as much. Secondly, it’s an approach that offers great flexibility. It would allow us to gradually strengthen the place of French, while taking into account the specific reality of higher education establishments,” he explained.

In his report, the Commissioner recommends, among other things, that the Quebec government “make the discovery of Quebec and French-language cultural content a strategic objective of the education system” and that it “quickly table a bill in the National Assembly on the discoverability of French-language cultural content.”

He also suggests that Quebec revise “its economic development support mechanisms with a view to integrating linguistic considerations in a coherent and transparent manner.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews