High participation rates for French immersion in the Greater Victoria school district during the past academic year are part of an ongoing trend.
“This is not new news for Victoria,” said Simon Burgers, district principal for languages and multiculturalism.
So the 2015-16 enrolment rate of 19.3 per cent of district students — a total of 3,806 out of just under 19,000 — is not a departure from the norm, he said.
“We have the largest immersion program in the province by sheer numbers, I believe, and by participation rate,” he said.
The B.C./Yukon branch of Canadian Parents for French has touted the Greater Victoria district for its top performance in 2015-16, which is well above the provincial average of 9.5 per cent of all students taking French immersion. A report released by the organization also said that enrolment in French immersion has been increasing for 18 years, leading to a shortage of qualified French-language teachers.
The district does so well for a number of reasons, Burgers said.
“In our community, there seems to be a large demand for French immersion,” he said. “We have an amazing teaching staff in immersion programs and in our English program. Our immersion staff are passionate about the French language and culture, and that helps promote the program.
“Our teachers are backbone to the success of our French immersion program, and then comes the planning to be able to accommodate that demand.”
He echoed the assertion that finding teachers can be difficult. “The hiring of qualified French-immersion teachers is a struggle in all districts, and with a district that has the largest immersion program in the province this is something that we focus on in collaboration with our HR department, in the attraction and retention and hiring of qualified immersion teachers.”
Burgers said he constantly looks at the numbers and tries to plan to the needs he sees. “Our latest example of increasing access to French immersion is the introduction of our ninth dual-track elementary school, which is George Jay.”
Unlike some districts, he said, Greater Victoria offers three options for entering French immersion: kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 6.
Glyn Lewis of Canadian Parents for French said it helps that the Greater Victoria district has been able to get ahead of the demand for French immersion.
“We’ve always kind of used the Greater Victoria school district as an example of what proactive leadership looks like in terms of growth, and making sure you’re planning for growth and you’re putting the resources in place well in advance.”
Lewis said his group strives to make sure students have an opportunity to learn both official languages. “French immersion is the most powerful vehicle for that.”
