Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
In my experience this was not quite the view of the French language school system in the Halifax area, which is operated by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial. I agree with you that in the end it should be about language skills, but I would not be surprised if there is still a double standard where "ethnically" Acadian parents (with suitable last name etc.) have an easier time enrolling kids who have worse French skills than other parents. That may even be an explicit part of the group's mandate. I'm not sure.
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You are right. What I expressed was mostly my view more than anything else.
According to the Constitution you can send your kid to French first schools if a) you yourself are a native French-speaking Canadian citizen or b) you yourself went to French school.
It does not say anything about kids knowing French before entering school, although presumably most of the kids of parents who fit one of these two criteria would know at least some French.
But not all, and from what some people who teach tell me is that there are sometimes fights between ''ayant droit'' (those whose rights are grandfathered) and schools when the kids don't speak any French but the parents want them schooled in that language.
Sort of like: Jacques Thibault starts dating Margaret Turner in university. They always spoke English together and Jacques lives his life in English and his native French is lapsed but not totally forgotten. They get married and Margaret gets pregnant and pretty soon Timothy Thibault is born. Both parents speak to him in English since this is their natural language as a couple and family.
Then when Timmy is old enough for school they start thinking about where to send him: they want him to be bilingual so he can get a good job, and they also don't want Jacques' parents Maurice and Huguette to flip out that their grandson won't be learning French in school.
And so based on Jacques' status as an ayant droit they try to enrol Timmy at the local French school.
Sometimes this works out, sometimes it does not.