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More families sending kids to English schools

After a big drop in the student population at the turn of the century, enrolment at the Western Quebec School Board continues to rise, as indicated in the board’s Annual Report released in late January.

“It’s never going to be what it was because of the nature of the demographics, the number of children, and what not, notwithstanding the fact that there are many children within our school system,” said James Shea, WQSB Chairman.

For a second consecutive school year, student population at the WQSB has increased. This year, the school board welcomed an additional 231 students for a total of 6,910 students.

This is a far cry from previous levels more than a decade ago when the board had more than 8,000 students but, in the past two years, there’s been a positive shift for the WQSB. The only English-language board in the Outaouais points to different factors to explain the recent rise.
 
Although WQSB schools have implemented different models of programs, the board has also developed marketing strategies to overcome declining enrolment.

“We campaigned last year to try to promote the benefits of Law 101 and the reality of the Canada clause that allows those who attended an English school across Canada the right to attend English schools in Quebec. That’s a challenge. There’s a grave misunderstanding. I was speaking to parents just the other week who do not clearly understand that there are significant schools within Quebec,” explained Mr. Shea. The campaign focused in the urban area where there is general population growth. The majority of new WQSB students live in the City of Gatineau.

However, increase in a concentrated area poses new challenges for the WQSB. “We must look at boundaries (catchment areas) again as the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School is full, as is Greater Gatineau Elementary School.