La confessionnalite scolaire au quebec. Droit et realite dans l'ecole secondaire confessionnelle

The confessional system of education in quebec. The law and the reality in the confessional high school

• Auteur / Autrice : François Hamel
• Direction : Marie Zimmermann
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Histoire du droit et des institutions
• Date : Soutenance en 1993
• Etablissement(s) : Strasbourg 2

Résumé

La confessionnalite scolaire fut consacree dans l'acte de l'amerique du nord britannique de 1867. Elle ne fait plus l'unanimite. Le ministere de l'education du quebec a bien essay en 1981 de clarifier la situation. La definition de la confessionnalite scolaire etait tellement vague qu'elle n'apportait aucune precision. Un debat d'opinion s'est engage sur la question. Les eveques catholiques ne s'opposent pas a la creation d'autres types d'ecole, mais ils optent pour le maintien de la structure confessionnelle. Les deux plus grandes commissions scolaires de la province, la commission des ecoles catholiques de montreal et le protestant school board of greater montreal abonderent dans le meme sens. Les syndicats et le mouvement laique optent pour une ecole non-confessionnelle. En 1988, le gouvernement liberal abolissait les commissions scolaires confessionnelles et creait des commissions scolaires linguistiques. Chaque ecole aurait le soin de determiner son statut juridique confessionnel ou non. Danbs ce contexte, nous avons mene une enquete pour connaitre aupres des usagers de l7ecole secondaire confessionnelle leur perception de la realite. Le flou laisse par l'histoire et les organisations gouvernementaux se repercutent dans l'opinion populaire. On veut maintenir la confessionnalite, mais on ignore ce qu'elle est.

The school confessionality has been invluded in the 1867 british north america act. Nowadays, it is not followed as it was in those times. The ministery of education tried to clarify the situation in 1981. The definition of school confessionality was so unclear, that it had no precision. A brain storming resulted on the matter. The catholic bishops did not oppose to the creation of other types of schools but prefered to maintain structures of confessionality. The two most important school boards of quebec, the commission des ecoles catholiques de montreal and the protestant school board of greater montreal had the same philosophy. Unions and lay movement choosed the non confessional schools. In 1988, the liberal government of quebec cancelled the confessional school boards and created linguistic schoold boards. Each school had to choose its juridical status, confessional or not. In that situation, we made an inquiry at confessional high school students, parentsz, teachers and principals, to know their perception of reality. It appears that the uncertainty let by history and government bodies rebonds in the public opinions. Few responses were not strong enough to define the school confessionality. We want to maintain this reality but we do not know what it is