One day after Parti Quebecois delegates endorsed a plan to restrict funding to English CEGEPs, politicians, administrators and The Federation of CEGEPs were out poking holes in the education plan.
"English CEGEPs have been very good, and I commend them, in attracting more students. French CEGEPs must be more successful in attracting these students who want to have good education in English as well. Funding follows the student," PQ leader Jean-François Lisée said Sunday outside the party meeting.
The plan, should the PQ win the next provincial election, would see francophone students banned from taking vocational courses at English schools as well as shifting funding to a demographics system and not the current per student model.
"I don't think this is a smart proposal. It will create a lot of impact on our capacity to even serve our own community. If gradually we're reduced to the demographic weight of the English community, it will mean our current grant or funding would be reduced by half, which is a lot," Richard Filion, the director of Dawson College told CTV Montreal.
The Federation of CEGEPs also denounced the idea.
"It may not be Bill 101 at the CEGEP level but, indirectly, it's quite the same," said Bernard Tremblay, the federation's president.
Quebec's Minister of Higher Education Helene David agreed, adding it would likely be unconstitutional and would not survive a challenge in court.
"When we are talking about post-secondary education that means something. Post-secondary education means higher education and when we are talking about higher education, we are talking about liberty: liberty of access, liberty of language. Those students in enormous majority are adults. So when we are adults we should have the choice to go to CEGEP or to the college that we choose," David said.