French-language schools enjoying increased enrolment, other successes

A promotion campaign is being credited with helping produce significant enrolment in the six French-language schools in P.E.I.

The schools taught 868 pupils in 2016-2017 and expect to host 937 pupils in 2017-2018. At that rate of growth, the Commission scolaire de langue française (CSLF) of Prince Edward Island expects to welcome 1,200 students in 2021.

The CSLF also achieved success in collaborations with other Acadian and francophone organizations in the province.

Its contribution to the Association des centres de la petite enfance francophones will help P.E.I.’s six French-language daycares better welcome, socialize and teach French to eventual CSLF students.

Its contribution to the drafting of the 2017-2027 Global Development Plan for the Acadian and Francophone community will ensure that CSLF activities are integrated with those of other organizations and that education remains the priority sector of community development.

Renovations continued in 2016-2017 to the La-BelleCloche school in Souris as well as the opening of a new music classroom at École-sur-Mer in Summerside.

However, the province refused to add the secondary level to École-sur-Mer and to renovate the École Évangéline and École

Deblois.

Finally, the CSLF balanced its budget in 2016-2017.

The CSLF says it will repeat its requests to the province for infrastructure and equipment needs, improve the quality of its programs and services, pursue its promotion campaign, and continue its collaboration with the other Acadian and francophone organisations of P.E.I.

It also plans to ensure that the next Federal-Provincial Official Language Agreement on French-language education provides the required funding to continue to improve educational programs and services and assume its cultural mandate. Pierre-Chiasson in