Meeting with the cabinet of the Minister of Education

Members of AQED’s Public and Government Relations Committee met with two of Jean-François Roberge’s political advisors on May 6th.

The team outlined all the issues surrounding the organization of preparatory and test administration activities, the immense burden placed on parents, and the prejudice experienced by families. AQED’s request was clear: to immediately end the requirement for home-schooled children to write ministerial exams until clear and fair procedures have been put in place across all SSCs and SBs in the province. We received a blunt refusal.

However, we did receive a commitment from the cabinet to follow up on the following points:

In the context of mandatory ministerial exams

• The presence of parents at preparatory activities;
• The processing of grades and proof of attendance at exams;
• The possibility of not having exams imposed in grade 4 and in secondary 2 as is the case for alternative programs.

In the context of certification of studies

• The weighting and recording of grades in Charlemagne;
• Preparation for local exams by the SSCs;
• Late receipt of assignments for optional subjects;
• Obtaining units for standardized tests for students who are not authorized to study in English at a school.

Despite repeated requests to his cabinet, the Minister of Education Jean-François Roberge refuses to intervene and meet with AQED’s families. As a result, thousands of children will experience unnecessary tension, stress and anxiety this spring during end-of-year exams. The Association québécoise pour l’éducation à domicile (AQED) had no choice but to send a formal notice to the Minister asking for urgent intervention to suspend the end-of-year ministerial exams.