Support For Francophone Students At Ontario's French-Language Colleges And Bilingual Universities

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Forwarded from edling

Increased Support For Francophone Students At Ontario's French-Language
Colleges And Bilingual Universities

    McGuinty Government On the Side Of Students Who Want Access to
    Opportunity

    OTTAWA, June 21 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government has increased support
for French-speaking students to ensure they have more opportunities to
study and succeed in their own language at postsecondary institutions,
Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced
today.  "We are on the side of hard-working Ontario families who want
their children to find opportunity through access to postsecondary
education," Bentley said. "That's why our government is committed to
ensuring that the francophone community has increased access to a high
quality French-language postsecondary education and training system which
can help them reach their full potential."

    The Ontario government provided new investments of $8.2 million to
support French-language postsecondary education. The government has
committed $4.7 million in 2006-07 to enhance the quality of
French-language programming at Ontario's bilingual universities, in
addition to a $3.5 million investment in 2005-06 to support expanded
access for francophone students through pilot projects and expanded
programming at Ontario's French-language colleges and bilingual
universities.  "This advance in French-language postsecondary education is
especially pleasing as we mark the 20th anniversary of the French-language
Services Act," said Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs Madeleine
Meilleur, who joined Bentley for today's announcement. "By increasing the
number and quality of French-language programs available to francophone
postsecondary students, the francophone community will have greater
opportunity to enrich Ontario culturally, economically and socially."

    The $3.5 million in francophone access funding is providing increased
choice within existing programs and a wider range of programs offered in
French, as well as increased student supports to improve student success.
This funding is part of the government's Reaching Higher plan commitment
to invest $10.2 million in 2005-06, rising to $55 million in 2009-10, to
help postsecondary institutions deliver programs that improve access to
postsecondary opportunity for francophones, aboriginals, persons with
disabilities and those who would be the first in their families to attend
college or university.  The University of Ottawa and its affiliate St.
Paul University will receive $3 million to enhance program quality and has
invested $662,704 in access funding to offer a wider variety of
French-language courses and an innovative immersion program.

    "This funding will allow our university to hire new francophone
faculty, increase the number and the quality of courses we offer in
French, and provide better services and support to francophone students,"
said Gilles Patry, president of the University of Ottawa. "This is an
important step by the province in giving us the resources we need to
fulfil our mandate to Ontario's francophone community."  La Cit collgiale
in Ottawa received $701,105 in francophone access funding to recruit more
full-time students and provide increased support to both faculty and
students, and to improve the diversity of programming.  "More francophones
will access postsecondary education if the programs they want to study are
available in French," said Andre Lortie, president of La Cit collgiale.
"This funding will help us expand French-language program offerings and
enable us to provide the supports our students need to succeed in those
programs."

    Providing more access to quality French-language education for
francophone students is the latest way the McGuinty government is working
to provide opportunity for Ontario's students. Other initiatives include:

    - Creating 75,000 more spaces in postsecondary education for qualified
students
    - Doubling our investment in student aid to help more families with
the cost of higher education
    - Bringing back grants for students who need help the most, benefiting
60,000 students this coming year

    Under the Reaching Higher Plan, the Ontario government is making an
historic $6.2 billion multi-year investment to support postsecondary
education - the largest in 40 years - to create more opportunities for
Ontarians to succeed.

    Disponible en francais

                              www.edu.gov.on.ca
                         www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca



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        INCREASED FUNDING TO SUPPORT ACCESS TO QUALITY POSTSECONDARY
                     EDUCATION FOR FRANCOPHONE STUDENTS

    As the province with the largest francophone community outside Quebec,
Ontario has more than 100,000 French-language learners at all levels of
education. In 2005-06, 16,700 French-speaking students were enrolled in
postsecondary education, with more than 12,300 in Ontario's three
bilingual universities and close to 4,400 in two French-language colleges.
To help more students obtain access to a high quality, French-language
postsecondary education, the Ontario government provided new investments
of $8.2 million to support French-language postsecondary education. The
government has committed $4.7 million in 2006-07 to enhance the quality of
French-language programming at Ontario's bilingual universities, in
addition to a $3.5 million investment in 2005-06 to support expanded
access for francophone students through pilot projects and expanded
programming at Ontario's French-language colleges and bilingual
universities.

    The funding to support expanded access for French-speaking students is
part of the government's plan to invest $10.2 million in 2005-06, rising
to $55 million in 2009-10, to help postsecondary institutions deliver
programs that improve access to postsecondary opportunity for
francophones, aboriginals, persons with disabilities and those who would
be the first in their families to attend college or university.
Currently, there are about 100 different French-language programs at
colleges and 150 programs at universities. Although many francophone
students pursue a postsecondary education, learning may take place in
English because not all programs are available in French. Ontario's
French-language colleges and bilingual universities face additional costs,
such as recruiting staff and faculty from a small number of bilingual
candidates.

    In January, the government established an Advisory Committee on
French-language Postsecondary Education. This committee provides ongoing
strategic advice to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on
how to improve the participation of and success by francophone students in
French-language postsecondary education and skills training.

    Francophone Access Projects

    Colleges

    In 2005-06, Collge Boral received $993,321 to improve access and
opportunity for French-speaking students. This funding was used to improve
support services for students, including counselling and mentoring, and
technological support to improve access to programs and courses through
distance education to the college's 25 videoconferencing sites. The
funding also improved computer systems and made research tools and
databases more widely available to the Boral network and to partner school
boards.  La Cite collegiale received $701,105 to increase access and
opportunity for French-speaking students. This funding was used to recruit
more full-time students and provide increased support to both faculty and
students, including the monitoring of student mid-term performance and
academic progress. The funding also improved the quality and diversity of
programs and expanded links to universities and school boards.

    Universities

    Laurentian University and its affiliate the University of Sudbury will
receive $1 million to enhance the quality of French-language education. In
addition, these institutions invested $505,661 to improve access and
opportunity by offering more variety of French-language courses and to
develop new third and fourth year science courses in French in biology,
chemistry and biochemistry to complement existing French programming so
that these degrees can be studied entirely in French.  The University of
Ottawa and its affiliate St. Paul University will receive $3 million to
provide Franco-Ontarians with enhanced French-language program quality.
These institutions have invested $662,704 to increase access and
opportunity for French-speaking students. The University of Ottawa is
developing honours programs in life sciences by offering new third- and
fourth-year courses in French to complement existing first- and
second-year courses. St. Paul University will improve access and
opportunity by offering a wider variety of French-language courses. In
addition, the University of Ottawa is developing an innovative immersion
program for improving second-language proficiency that will help students
who want to teach a second language improve their second-language skills
and be better qualified to enter the job market.

    Hearst College will receive $98,973 in funding to enhance
French-language program quality. The college has invested $184,998 to
improve access and opportunity for francophone students through different
modes of delivery and increasing the number of French-language courses it
offers, emphasizing "teachable subjects" to help increase the supply of
francophone teachers.  Glendon College at York University will receive
$498,890 to enhance French-language program quality. Glendon has invested
$291,063 to increase enrolment in French-language courses and programs,
and to offer better quality services to students speaking minority
languages.  The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the
University of Toronto received $50,000 in access funding to retain the
only Master and PhD in French-language education programs in southwestern
Ontario.

    Disponible en francais

                              www.edu.gov.on.ca
                         www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca

For further information: Sheamus Murphy, Minister's Office, (416)
325-7215; Steve Robinson, Communications Branch, (416) 325-2667; Public
Inquiries: (416) 325-2929, or 1-800-387-5514, TTY: 1-800-263-2892

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2006/21/c8006.html