Canadian Parents for French Alberta Pleased with 15 years of consecutive growth
EDMONTON – 2014/15 marked the 15th consecutive year of growth for French immersion in Alberta, and the largest total enrolment since the program was first offered here in the early 1970s.
Just over 42,000 students were enrolled in French immersion in 2014/15, an increase of almost 4.5% over the previous year. The program involved 6.25% of the total Alberta K-12 student enrolment, and was offered in 215 schools in 42 school authorities across the province.
The number of Alberta students studying French as a subject (called “FSL” in Alberta, “core French” elsewhere in Canada) increased last year by almost 1,675. This increase is significant as it shows a continued growth since the major decline in enrolment in the 2011-12 school year.
According to data provided by Alberta Education, core French enrolment for the 2013/15 school year was almost 149,000, or almost 22% of the total student enrolment.
“Canadian Parents for French is very pleased by the increased enrolment,” says Victoria Wishart, the new President of Canadian Parents for French, Alberta Branch. “We believe that students should continue to be offered a variety of broad, divers and quality French language program options which will aid them in enjoying significant linguistic, academic, and cognitive benefits.”
Canadian Parents for French is the national network of volunteers which values French as an integral part of Canada and which is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second-language learning opportunities for young Canadians. There are currently 56,000 members across Canada and 3,000 in Alberta.