The “best” of two school systems

This text is part of the special booklet Private schools

By combining teaching based on French pedagogy with the requirements of the Quebec Ministry of Education, the Collège international Marie de France in Montreal hopes to open its students to the world and guide them towards excellence.

“Assuming that there is not one that is better than the other, one of the advantages is that it allows us to take the best of both school systems”, summarizes the new headmaster of the private establishment, Bernard Luyckx.

Thus, no secondary school diploma leading to CEGEP at the end of the course, but a French baccalaureate, giving graduates the possibility of being admitted to university. The program followed by the school founded in 1939 therefore comes under the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE). The latter included 535 schools approved by the French Ministry of National Education across 139 countries at the start of the 2020 school year. “The system offered by the College allows you to have access to the same programs, wherever you are in the world”, explains Mr Luyckx.

Most of the teachers working at Marie de France come from the French education system. But there are also Canadians among the faculty, trained in methods approved by the French Ministry of Education.

To the French requirements are also added those of the Quebec Ministry of Education. This includes courses in the history of Quebec and Canada, as well as certain courses in mathematics, physics or life and earth sciences.

The well-being of Quebec students

By adapting the French program to Quebec realities, the Collège Marie de France places the well-being of students at the center of its concerns, says Mr. Luyckx.

“It’s something that, I believe, came from the Quebec school system. And we are really trying to put it in place, in a marriage that is as coherent as possible with the French education system, ”explains the principal. According to him, the fact that the College ensures that students feel at ease is an “undeniable” contribution from the Quebec school system, he believes.

The principal adds that the teachers are trained to manage heterogeneous groups. Support in class, studies conducted outside of class hours, interventions by specialists to alleviate learning difficulties… The support available to students is not only provided during the school timetable. “It’s really a help that takes place both in the classroom and next to the classroom,” says Luyckx.

A winning strategy, according to the principal, who affirms that last year, 100% of graduates of the establishment obtained their French baccalaureate, which leads to university studies. “And nearly 85% got it with honors,” he says. A mention means that the final mark is well above the average, and can give access to training or more limited jobs.

Moreover, one in two students from the foreign education network goes to France to study after having obtained their French baccalaureate. Among them, 60% are not French nationals, identifies the AEFE.

Train citizens of the world

The fact that the school welcomes students from many countries is a “huge asset”, according to Luyckx. In addition to children of French nationals, the College counts among its students those of employees of large companies, Canadians, binational couples. “We also educate many children of diplomats and business executives who are required to move very regularly in the world,” says the principal. When we talk about multiculturalism in our case, it is students who have made, for many, several educational systems. “

These heterogeneous profiles allow Marie de France’s students to receive an education open to the world, he explains. “This cultural mix with people who come from Asia, America, Europe, from all over the planet, it creates an intellectual and cultural richness which is nevertheless remarkable”, he adds.

Mainly from wealthy backgrounds, college students? Not according to the principal, who insists that the establishment is open to students from all walks of life. “Our desire is to open ourselves to all social classes. The idea is really to allow everyone to be as successful as possible, regardless of their level. And finally, to be happy in your life. ”

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