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CONSULADO GERAL DE PORTUGAL EM TORONTO
Circular Note 20/2011
Re: Academic (Un)success of the Portuguese Community of Toronto
The Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto presents its compliments to the whole Portuguese Community of Ontario and media channels and, further to several much appreciated recent observations and considering the unquestionable and well deserved merit due to all Portuguese media for their continuous defence of the Language of Camões, thanks them beforehand for their attention and diffusion of the following: “On the March 9th edition of the Toronto Star, article Trustees seek to curb Portuguese drop‐ out rate, claimed as follows: a) The secondary school drop‐out rate in Toronto by students of Portuguese background is 34 per cent; b) Only 66 per cent of Portuguese students graduate high school in five years, compared to 76 per cent of Toronto’s students overall; c) The lowest graduation rate in the city; d) An alternative school for Portuguese speaking students could lead to the resolution of the problem. The statements contained therein and the attempt to place a negative connotation on the Community as a whole, are either based on scientific facts that support them, or they constitute discriminatory agents that do not contribute to a resolution to the problem. In fact, they place a twofold negative label (low graduation rate and penalization for speaking Portuguese), disproportionate to the role and the status of the Portuguese Community in this country and the importance of the language of Camoes throughout the world. Even though one must praise society’s consistent discussion of the problems that affect it and its search for adequate solutions to them (present article included), one should not fall into the temptation of placing a stigma over half a million Portuguese who have contributed throughout 50 years towards the country’s wealth and the plurality of opinions present in Canadian society. The Portuguese community has grown considerably with the process of integration into Canadian society and the names of Mario Silva (15 years in municipal, provincial and federal politics), Peter Fonseca, Charles de Sousa, Nelson Santos and Ana Bailao, among others, are a
438 University Avenue, Suite 1400, Box 41 – Toronto, ON. M5G 2K8 - Canadá Tel: 416 217 - 0966 / Fax: 416 217 – 0973
E-mail:
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CONSULADO GERAL DE PORTUGAL EM TORONTO clear example of it. And these are simply a few local political and academic Portuguese rooted Canadian examples of success. Not to mention Portuguese entrepreneurial accomplishments that greatly contribute to the local economy, exemplified by arguably the largest translation company in this Province of 13 million residents ‐ Able Translations. As a matter of fact, examples of success in business are countless and these are just a few: Ferma Import and Export, Borges Foods, Caldense, Nova Era, Jacks’ Backery, A.C.D. Wholesale Meats Ltd., TEL‐Є Technologies, Connexall, Crawford Roofing, Global Waste Services, Merit Metal Industries Inc., Saco Fisheries Limited, Target Drywall & Acoustics, Trican Masonry Contractors, Newport Fish Importers or Viana Roofing. Or from the notable list of university and secondary education professors, public workers, lawyers, doctors, graduate professionals and young university students, who contribute year after year with their knowledge and work towards the enrichment of Canadian society. And we must also underline the pivotal role in the preservation of the language of Camões played by all Portuguese media channels, be it radio, newspapers, magazines, internet sites, and television ‐ a true source of pride for the community, given the media’s influence as an important cultural vehicle on the preservation of the linguistic heritage of our country. And if in fact one can identify the existence of academic problems facing students of Portuguese background, which must be corrected, it is no less important to recognize that Canadian students of Portuguese background have also contributed to the 40 per cent decrease in academic drop‐out rate in the Province in the last decade1. In fact, the Premier of Ontario recently stated publicly that the increase in secondary education success is a direct result of a better provincial education system2. And naturally, those good results can also be traced to Portuguese Canadian students. 11
In 1990/1991, nearly 340,000 or 16.6% of young people aged 20 to 24 had not completed a high school diploma and were not attending school. This high school dropout rate declined significantly through the 1990s and 2000s. By 2009/2010, that number had fallen to 191,000 (8.5%). Source ‐ (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily‐quotidien/101103/dq101103a‐eng.htm 22 Ont. high‐school graduation rate rises CBC News Posted: Mar 8, 2011 12:56 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 8, 2011 3:32 PM ET Back to accessibility links Beginning of Story Content Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the province's Specialist High Skills Majors program has helped boost the high school graduation rate. (Kimberly
438 University Avenue, Suite 1400, Box 41 – Toronto, ON. M5G 2K8 - Canadá Tel: 416 217 - 0966 / Fax: 416 217 – 0973
E-mail:
[email protected] - Blog: http://cgptoronto.blogspot.com C. Virtual: http://www.consuladovirtual.pt - http://twitter.com/cgptoronto Web: http://www.secomunidades.pt/web/toronto
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CONSULADO GERAL DE PORTUGAL EM TORONTO The Portuguese community must continue to put forth a constant effort regarding the education of their youth, because by prolonging their academic lives they will be better prepared to face future challenges; better equipped to carry out a relevant role in the country’s business and political life, as demonstrated by the aforementioned examples. But it is also Canadian society and local authorities who must search for concrete solutions to the academic problems of their youth, thereby making it difficult to accept that alternative schools for Portuguese students could be the better solution: it is through complete integration into the local system of all students from all backgrounds that better final results can be achieved. Not through the creation of linguistic ghettos. It is up to the community to unite around the problem. In fact, it is important to know why young Portuguese as a whole, abandon school prematurely, and not simply those in the TDSB system who speak Portuguese at home3; the drop‐out rate must consider the universality of Portuguese youth by also including those TDSB Portuguese background students who speak English at home, as well as Portuguese Canadian students from the catholic board. Gale/CBC) High‐school graduation rates in Ontario have increased across the province, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced Tuesday. At a news conference held at George Harvey C.I. in Toronto, McGuinty said graduation rates have risen in each of the last six years, going from 68 per cent in 2003‐04 to 81 per cent in 2009‐10. The rise in graduation rates means about 72,000 more students are earning their high‐school diplomas than they were six years ago. McGuinty said the province's Specialist High Skills Majors program has helped boost the graduation rate. The program allows students to focus their studies on a specific area relevant to their career interests. There are now more than 1,000 such programs across the province, in areas such as agriculture, manufacturing and information technology. "We've got dozens and dozens of these new specialist high‐skills majors," McGuinty told CBC News. "Everything from forestry to energy, to aviation to construction to business. All those being offered around the province, including auto mechanics." McGuinty said the provincial government is targeting an eventual graduation rate of 85 per cent. The statistics pointing to an increased graduation rate are based on students who have taken five yearsto graduate. Some students require a fifth year of high school to change their focus of study and take extra courses. "Some kids can do it in four years some choose to do it in five years. Doesn't matter to me as a parent, as a teacher, as a premier.... I just want you to get it done," said McGuinty. Source: (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/03/08/ontario‐graduation‐rates.html 10‐03‐ 2011) 3
The 34 per cent drop‐out rate was calculated from a group of 103 students who normally speak Portuguese at home (not known if it refers only to Portuguese nationals or includes also students of other Portuguese speaking countries) enrolled between grades 9 and 12, from 2004 to 2009. Source: Brown report of June 2010 do TDSB available at http://www.cgptoronto.blogspot.com 438 University Avenue, Suite 1400, Box 41 – Toronto, ON. M5G 2K8 - Canadá Tel: 416 217 - 0966 / Fax: 416 217 – 0973
E-mail:
[email protected] - Blog: http://cgptoronto.blogspot.com C. Virtual: http://www.consuladovirtual.pt - http://twitter.com/cgptoronto Web: http://www.secomunidades.pt/web/toronto
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CONSULADO GERAL DE PORTUGAL EM TORONTO Only then, with global statistical facts, will we be able to paint and justify a true academic portrait of the Portuguese community in terms of education achievements. Therefore, the Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto makes it public that the Toronto School Board (TDSB) has accepted a suggestion from the Portuguese Teaching Coordination Services for the negotiation of a Protocol Agreement (MoU) with Instituto Camões for the addition of the latter in the task force on the matter, as well as the extension of an invitation to participate to the Catholic Board and the inclusion of English speaking Portuguese Canadian youth in studies guided to determine academic failure; this would allow for structured, permanent and collaborative work between all parties involved, not only regarding Portuguese Canadian students, but also in relation to the promotion of Portuguese language studies which must always be looked upon as academic enriching for the youth. Until the conclusion of the analysis process and the determination of medium term strategies, it would be advantageous to remain serene and to seek dialogue and constructive collaboration between all agents of society, rather than to pay attention to deceptive rhetoric brought on by certain statistical data. Pedro Moitinho de Almeida, Ambassador of Portugal to Canada Júlio Vilela, Consul General in Toronto Ana Paula Ribeiro, Coordinator of Portuguese Teaching in Canada » Toronto, March 31st. 2011
The Consul General
(Júlio Vilela)
438 University Avenue, Suite 1400, Box 41 – Toronto, ON. M5G 2K8 - Canadá Tel: 416 217 - 0966 / Fax: 416 217 – 0973
E-mail:
[email protected] - Blog: http://cgptoronto.blogspot.com C. Virtual: http://www.consuladovirtual.pt - http://twitter.com/cgptoronto Web: http://www.secomunidades.pt/web/toronto
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