Austin says decline in French Immersion enrollment not surprising

People's Alliance leader urges halt to French Immersion changes

The People's Alliance urge the Gallant Government to halt change to Immersion entry point

The leader of the New Brunswick People's Alliance party Kris Austin says he is not at all surprised by the significant decline in French Immersion numbers as reported by the Department of Education. A thirty two percent drop is a very significant number and it just demonstrates the concerns parents have about the program and magnifies the concerns expressed over the past three months and more from educators including the New Brunswick Teachers Association, the Retired Teachers Association, various education councils and university staff. This is what happens when there is a disconnect and distrust between parents and educators with government policy. The decision to reintroduce French immersion into grade one has been criticized across the board as a politically motivated position by the Gallant government against the advice of our educators.

"This disconnect is a serious problem that should not be swept under the rug," said Kris Austin. "There are a number of questions that need to be answered without any attempt to cover it up. The Gallant government owes the people of New Brunswick some explanations." 

Austin questions how much reintroducing French immersion into grade one will actually cost the tax payer? Where is the money coming from? How will it impact the budgets for other programs and courses in education? How many teachers will be displaced? Where are the new second language teachers actually coming from?

It does appear that many parents are now waiting until grade six to enroll their children in second language programs which will allow for a greater focus on strengthening the literacy programs in a student’s mother tongue from grades one to five. The People’s Alliance Party fully supports such a program as the means of raising literacy scores in our education system. 

"We join the public at large and again ask that the Gallant government abandon its plan to reintroduce French Immersion into grade one, eliminate the chaos, and use the funds to strengthen core literacy and numeracy programs for all of our students", Austin stated