New N.B. French immersion plan quells opposition

The compromise offered by New Brunswick's education minister on the thorny issue of early French immersion seemed to satisfy parents attending the announcement in Fredericton Tuesday.

Beginning in 2010, the province will offer French immersion starting in Grade 3, rather than Grade 6, as originally proposed in widely opposed changes put forward by Education Minister Kelly Lamrock in March.

But the government will stick to its plan to eliminate immersion for Grades 1 and 2, which had been available to students until now, Lamrock told the news conference.

Diana Hamilton, who has a child starting kindergarten in September, said the Grade 3 entry point is a big improvement over the Grade 6 entry point first proposed.

But there is still uncertainty about how the new plan will actually be put into place, she said.

"I feel a bit now like we're taking a bit of a leap, but it's more like leaping into the shallow end of a pool rather than the deep end," Hamilton said.  

Parent Clea Ward, who also attended Lamrock's announcement, said she is still concerned about the way the changes to French education training were made.

"It's not that I'm fundamentally opposed to it one way or the other ... but any credibility it might have had has been washed away with the fact that he's attempting to ram it through," she said.  

Under the changes announced Tuesday, students who do not start French immersion in Grade 3 will have another chance to sign up in Grade 6, and French-language training will be available to all students in Grade 5.

French language and culture will be offered to all students in kindergarten and in their early grades through games and music. A wider range of options for French instruction in high school will also be offered.

The changes were unveiled after six weeks of court-ordered public consultation.