Quebec Schools Are Getting A New Culture & Citizenship Class That Will Teach Quebec Values
Here's what the government says the course will include.
Quebec schools are getting a wide-ranging "citizenship and culture" class to match their new fleurdelisé-blue façades. The government made the announcement over the weekend.
"Quebec Culture and Citizenship" will replace a class on religious ethics and culture.
The "culture" segments of the course will aim to "lead students to take an interest in and understand culture by focusing on Quebec culture" and instill "the duty of every nation to protect and promote its own culture, heritage and particularities," according to a press release from Minister of Education Jean-François Roberge.
In "citizenship" segments, students will learn "the values and fundamental principles of civic life," including information on what the government calls the "struggles we hold dear, such as the fight against sexism, racism and homophobia."
"Citizenship" will also cover the structure of the Quebec judicial system, tips on how to spot fake news, "responsible" social media use, environmental issues and sex education, "including hypersexualization, consent and sexual exploitation."
The government says it designed the new course in consultation with the public, the school system, "as well as Indigenous peoples."
In an Instagram post, Premier François Legault promised the course would also give students a "better understanding of the culture of First Nations and Inuit."
"Calls for censorship, polarization on social networks and new controversies around freedom of expression are all indicators of a dire need for the return of a true democratic dialogue," Roberge said in the press release.
"These new issues, in addition to the assessment of the previous course, are the reason for this in-depth reform."
The new course, he said, will "[prepare] Quebec's youth for the exercise of citizenship by giving them a better understanding of our culture while addressing essential content."