Letter to the editor

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Dear Editor,

Many have puzzled at what is motivating Minister Lamrock's elimination of EFI. Is he hostile to French language? Does he wish to dismantle New Brunswick's bilingualism? Or does he genuinely believe this will improve education in New Brunswick?

Let us assume that Minister Lamrock's agenda is to improve New Brunswick's test scores. Since EFI students have higher test scores than Core French students (another evidence to debunk the myth that learning in a second language will impede in acquiring math and literacy skills), distributing them within other classes will statistically bring up the average test score.

But first, let me ask: does NB really have a literacy and math problem? If that is what the test scores show, perhaps we should re-examine these scores? The fact that special needs children are exempt from taking these tests, and then that their untaken tests are still counted as 0, will inevitably bring the test scores down.

These test scores, therefore, are not an accurate reflection of the abilities of the children who take these tests.

But if test scores is what is at stake here, rather than eliminating EFI, an easier way to raise scores would be to not count the tests of special needs students, who are not taking these tests anyway.

But if NB does really have a literacy and math problem, then it is certainly not arising from having an EFI program. Other provinces in Canada also have EFI but do not have the same problems. The difference is in how much is invested in education.

If NB wishes to achieve the best education in Canada, then it must make education its number one priority and invest heavily in it. Eliminating EFI is a divestment rather than investment in education.

Taeyon Kim

(via e-mail)