The resumption of immigration and, more importantly, the return of asylum seekers to Roxham Road, on the Canada-US border, has caused an increase in the enrollment of allophone students in schools in Greater Montreal since the beginning of ‘ years.
Quebec’s largest school service center is used to accepting newcomers throughout the school year, but over the past two years, the pandemic has somewhat slowed the flow of registrations.
Once there is a recovery on Roxham Road, we feel it a few days, even a few weeks later. Of the 210 children we received in March, a third of them came from four countries: Mexico, Haiti, Colombia and Brazilexplanation by the director of the school organization’s department CSSDMMatthew Desjardins.
In total, there have been over 750 new CSSDM registrations since the beginning of 2022.
The number of new alophone students in Montérégie is also rising. The Center de services scolaire Marie-Victorin has reception classes at several schools in Longueuil and Brossard. 2019 is a record year. Ever since Roxham Road reopened, we seem to be coming back to where we left off before the pandemicsaid Marie-Hélène Mathieu, intercultural mediator.
Reception service staff are observing a greater vulnerability of families whose members have refugee status. The pandemic imposed detours and stops.
In the pandemic, they are doubly vulnerable to the fact that they have not been to school for several months. Like many refugees, they do not have time to prepare for their migration journey. Often they do not choose the country either. When they came here they did not expect the cold winterobservation by Chantale Boutet, assistant director of educational services at CSSMV.
With a growing number of students with immigrant backgrounds, the CSSMV want to refine its reception network. Depending on the age of the children, the hybrid approach makes it possible to directly accept more children into regular classes, especially at the beginning of elementary school.
Learning a second language, francization is further favored by being in a regular class, explains Mari-Hélène Mathieu. Older children often need more time to learn French before joining a regular class.
For decades, admissions classes have allowed thousands of students to learn French. For those who spend a year or two in an admissions class, for our students coming to elementary school, it’s fascinating how quickly they learn. And that’s our duty in Law 101, it’s a duty that we do every yearproudly said Réginald Fleury, educational advisor at the Center de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île.
In this center northeast of the island of Montreal, the influx of refugees is also increasing.
Essential expertise
Like the entire school network, admissions classes have also borne the brunt of the labor shortage. During the pandemic, teachers were called to help other classes.
However, their expertise is invaluable, according to teacher Isabelle Bujold, who believes it should not be lost. He hopes the teachers who left the reception class will return for the regular class.
Isabelle Bujold is in her 13th year of teaching the reception class. Among those who walked the banks of his class, notably with him were Syrians, Afghans and Haitians who survived the 2010 earthquake.
We have students who come via Roxham Road, who cross America on foot, who leave Brazil. Students who lost family members along the waygives the example of a teacher in Anjou secondary school.
We have some experience with students who have experienced traumahe added.
In mid -April, he received the first Ukrainian student in his class.
Source: Radio-Canada
