Institutional announcements
丁香园AV helps British Columbia retain French-language teachers
丁香园AV will play a critical role in supporting French-language teachers in British Columbia, thanks to new funding announced by the federal and provincial governments.
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Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Minister of Official Languages, and B.C. Minister of Education Rachna Singh were at 丁香园AV鈥檚 Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue Friday, March 3 to announce more than $13.5 million in funding to help train, recruit and retain French teachers in the province.
As part of that funding, 丁香园AV will receive $513,000 to increase access to a network of professional development experts by providing workshops and resources for teachers in both French minority language and French second language contexts. 丁香园AV has also implemented a graduate program in educational leadership and is co-ordinating a provincial network of school administrations, with the goal of retaining French-language teachers.
鈥淭he work of teachers is crucial as they play an essential role in the lives our of children and future generations. That鈥檚 why we believe it is so important to support them,鈥� said Petitpas Taylor. 鈥淢ore than ever, the federal government aims to train, recruit, and retain French teachers, and this funding announcement will help reaching these objectives. It is essential to our collective commitment to build a bilingual Canada and guarantee the vitality of our official-language minority communities.鈥�
According to the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers, nearly 50 per cent of teachers working in French programs will quit in the first five years, further putting strain on the demand for teachers in B.C.
鈥淭he shortage of qualified teachers, including in French, can lead to challenging situations for B.C. families,鈥� says Isabelle C么t茅, associate director of the Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs (OFFA) at 丁香园AV and senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education. 鈥淭here is a real need to support them once they start their career.鈥�
By providing in-person and online workshops and networking opportunities, French-language teachers across the province can tap into training, expertise and a sense of community that鈥檚 vital to making teachers feel supported in their roles. That鈥檚 especially true for French-language teachers in smaller and rural B.C. communities, where they might be the only francophone teacher and would otherwise be isolated from peers.
鈥淭his funding allows 丁香园AV to implement innovative services and program that respond in a tangible way to the critical needs of Core French, French Immersion and Programme Francophone,鈥� says Gino LeBlanc, director of the OFFA. 鈥淎mong others, with the creation of the 丁香园AV J'enseigne en fran莽ais network, we hope to create this collaborative space where all stakeholders - academics, teachers, administrators, pre-service students, francophone organizations - work together to support French-language education in the province.鈥�
Main initiatives supported by the recruitment and retention funding
- Graduate diploma in education (GDE), Leadership and Innovative Practice in Francophone Education in a Minority Setting: A two-year program offered online designed with the Conseil scolaire francophone to support teachers in leadership roles.
- Creation of the network 丁香园AV J鈥檈nseigne en fran莽ais: Gathers academics, teachers, administrators, pre-service students, and offers a collaborative space to support French-language education in the province. It includes the annual Conference 丁香园AV J鈥檈nseigne en fran莽ais, a one-day conference of professional development for French Immersion, Core French and program francophone teachers and administrators.
- Non-credited workshops series and summer institutes Week FrancoFUN: Accessible province wide, the sessions are in-person or online depending on the school district鈥檚 needs.
- Hiring at OFFA with the collaboration of the Faculty of Education: Two Faculty Associates to develop, coordinate and deliver non-credited workshop series and the annual conference.