IDEA plans French immersion survey

The IDEA will soon survey parents in Iqaluit about whether they want French immersion available in their children’s schools.

While the department of education considered chopping French instruction from some schools this year, the IDEA is moving in the other direction, lobbying Heritage Canada to finance a questionnaire on whether parents want to expand the French curriculum.

The survey would compliment the group’s efforts to draft a four-year funding proposal to the same federal department to increase second-language school services.

No date has been chosen for the survey, which will be discussed at the IDEA’s meeting on Monday.

The increased interest in French comes after IDEA members claim to have rescued French classes from cutbacks at most of the community’s schools this year.

Katherine Trumper, an IDEA member, said the Government of Nunavut toyed with the idea of cutting French classes from the curriculum in all but one English school in Iqaluit, until she and former IDEA member Kathy Smith lobbied to keep the status quo.

Suzanne Lefebvre, French curriculum coordinator for the department of education, said the government was considering the cutbacks because of budget pressures but confirmed students will have as much French language instruction this year, as they did before.