Perspectives on adult education in Quebec

Abstract

Canada is an officially bilingual (English and French) country, but for the most part, English and French people live in different areas of the country. Quebec' s official language is French, although it has a large English-speaking community, especially in Montreal. The United States does not have an official second language, but adult education practitioners regularly work with learners whose first language is not English and in communities where other languages are spoken. The Quebec situation is unique in North America: French is a minority language, considered to be endangered in Canada, and education and culture play a central role in its preservation.Due to specific historical and political factors, adult educators in Quebec face different challenges from practitioners in other parts of the country or in the United States. These challenges can be considered threefold: preservation of the French language, educating the workforce, and integrating new immigrants. This chapter presents the specific situation and problems of adult education in Quebec, as well as the solutions that have been devised. For this purpose, I draw mostly on analysis of governmental or official policies and orientations about the present and future of adult education. I put forward that adult educators, their training and recognition, are the missing link between the objectives and achievements of adult education in Quebec. This gap has been rarely addressed, if at all. 37 4

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