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The Education For All Collective demands Quebec act urgently to ensure all non-status children can attend school

Tuesday 10am) Press point at the NDG offices of the new Quebec Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, Kathleen Weil

by Collectif éducation sans frontières


Attention News Editors

For Immediate Release

The Education For All Collective demands that the Quebec government act urgently to ensure that all non-status children can attend primary and secondary school

Collective members and allies to gather at the NDG offices of the new Quebec Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, Kathleen Weil
    

Press Point
date: Tuesday, April 29
time: 10am
location: 5252, de Maisonneuve Ouest (métro Vendôme)
(at the constituency office of the new Quebec Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion)

Media contacts:
Linda Guerry: 514-771-1647
Jaggi Singh: 438-933-7654
e-mail: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com

April 28, 2014, Montreal -- The Collectif éducation sans frontières (Education For All Collective) is organizing a press point and gathering tomorrow - Tuesday, April 29 at 10am - to urgently demand that all non-status children be allowed access to Quebec’s primary and secondary schools for free.

The new Cabinet ministers for the Ministry of Education (Yves Bolduc from Quebec City) and the newly named Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion (Kathleen Weil from Notre-Dame-de-Grace in Montreal) have been appointed, and the Education for All collective is demanding that they act urgently to ensure that another school year isn’t lost to non-status children.

“Quebec is a shameful exception when it comes to allowing non-status kids to attend primary and secondary school,” states Linda Guerry, a researcher and member of the Collectif éducation sans frontières.

Guerry adds:  “For comparison, non-status kids in the United States, France and Canadian cities like Toronto can attend school for free.”

The Collectif éducation sans frontières asserts that the previous Quebec government neglected this issue during their mandate. When the previous Education Minister, Marie Malavoy, issued directives to school boards in June 2013, she ignored non-status children, who are required to pay upwards of $5000-6000 per year to attend school.

Anne Buisson, a Cegep professor and also a member of the Collectif éducation sans frontières, states: “The new Minister of Education, Yves Bolduc, with the support of the Minister of Immigration, can issue clear directives to all school boards to allow access to non-status children, and to end the injustice facing Quebec’s non-status families.
 

Buisson adds: “We demand that the new Quebec government act by no later than May 30, so that the information about access to primary and secondary school for non-status children can be widely shared with parents before the summer break.”
 
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Background:

The issue is explored in detail in the following document: www.solidarityacrossborders.org/fr/chronologie-et-informations

More detailed background information is also available here: www.solidarityacrossborders.org/fr/education-across-borders-collective

All Quebec members of the National Assembly have been contacted about this issue as well; you can read the letter sent to them here: www.solidarityacrossborders.org/fr/lettre-ouverte-aux-nouveaux-deputes

Info:
www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org
438-933-7654
solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com

 

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