The view from down under isn’t looking up when it comes to Quebec’s education approach, according to a delegation of Australian policy experts who recently toured our province’s schools. Their assessment? A cautionary tale rather than a model to emulate.
“What struck me immediately was the rigidity,” says Dr. Margaret Thornton, education policy researcher from the University of Melbourne, who visited several Montreal-area schools last month. “The system seems caught in an outdated framework that doesn’t reflect modern learning environments.”
The Australian delegation, comprised of education officials and academics, spent two weeks observing classrooms across Quebec as part of a comparative study of education systems. Their findings highlight concerns about Quebec’s approach to both infrastructure and curriculum design.
Quebec’s aging school buildings drew particular criticism. Many structures, built during the 1960s construction boom, now face significant maintenance challenges. Last summer’s report from the Auditor General revealed that 39% of Quebec schools are in “poor” or “very poor” condition, requiring over $5.8 billion in repairs.
“We walked through corridors where ceiling tiles were missing and saw classrooms with inadequate ventilation,” notes Peter Wilson, school infrastructure coordinator with Australia’s Department of Education. “These physical environments don’t create the conditions where students can thrive.”
The delegation’s assessment comes at a sensitive time. Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville has been defending the province’s performance following a drop in international test scores. Recent PISA results showed Quebec students still perform above the Canadian average in mathematics but have slipped in reading and science compared to previous years.
When reached for comment, Drainville’s office emphasized ongoing investments. “We’re committing $2.3 billion this year alone to school renovations and construction,” said ministry spokesperson Catherine Pelletier. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will our education system be transformed overnight.”
Beyond infrastructure concerns, the Australian experts questioned Quebec’s curriculum approach, particularly the controversially rapid implementation of the Culture and Citizenship in Quebec program that replaced Ethics and Religious Culture courses.
Professor James Murray from Sydney’s Macquarie University described the rollout as “hasty and politically motivated” rather than educationally sound. “Curriculum development requires teacher preparation and thoughtful implementation. When education becomes a political football, students ultimately lose.”
The comparison with Australia is particularly relevant as both regions have undertaken significant curriculum reforms in recent years. However, the Australian approach typically involves longer consultation periods and phased implementation.
Parents’ committees across Quebec have voiced similar concerns. Marie-Claude Giroux, president of the Federation of Parents’ Committees, says the Australian assessment resonates with what parents are experiencing. “We’ve been telling the government for years that both our buildings and our approach need modernization. Sometimes it takes outside perspective to make these issues impossible to ignore.”
Not all feedback was negative. The Australians praised Quebec’s early childhood education programs and the province’s commitment to French language instruction. “The cultural education component is impressive,” acknowledged Dr. Thornton. “There’s a clear sense of preserving identity through education that many systems could learn from.”
Some educators pushed back against the criticism. Jean Bouchard, a 30-year teaching veteran from Laval, questions whether foreign observers can fully grasp Quebec’s unique context. “Our system has produced generations of successful graduates. Every education system has challenges, but we also have strengths that deserve recognition.”
The Federation of Quebec School Boards plans to review the Australian delegation’s full report when published next month. “We welcome constructive criticism,” says spokesperson François Leblanc. “But we also need to consider our distinct needs and the progress we’ve already made.”
As Quebec continues its education reform efforts, this international perspective adds another voice to the ongoing debate about how best to prepare students for an increasingly complex future. Whether this outside criticism will influence policy remains to be seen, but it certainly provides food for thought about the road ahead for Quebec’s 1.2 million students.
For parents like Montrealer Sophie Tremblay, the findings simply confirm daily realities. “My daughter’s school had buckets in the hallway all winter collecting water from leaks. We know there are problems. What we need now is action, not more studies telling us what we already see.”
