FREDERICTON -- New Brunswick's Tory government says it will conduct a broad review of the province's education system that will include a plan to deliver French second-language programming.
Education Minister Dominic Cardy announced the review today and also confirmed that Grade 1 will remain the entry point for French immersion when the new school year begins in September.
Cardy says consultations over the last several months have revealed challenges with the province's education system that go beyond the immersion entry point, saying they "exist throughout the entire system."
He also says the current system is failing to graduate bilingual students. In January, Auditor General Kim MacPherson questioned the effectiveness of the province's French immersion program.
Cardy says a summit is planned this fall by the province's francophone and anglophone school systems to seek ideas about how to transform the overall education system.
It will be preceded by the release of a green paper on education, and the public will be asked for input on all aspects of the education system and challenges affecting the classroom.
The government says those challenges include classroom composition, student engagement and ensuring graduates are prepared for their futures.
"It is important to hear the voices of parents, teachers, administrators, students, community leaders and concerned citizens," Cardy said in a news release.
"Our goal is to be top 10 in the Program for International Student Assessment rankings in reading, math and science. We need to give teachers the opportunity to be engaged and have the ability to reach their students if we are going to reach our goals."
