The vagaries of CEGEP
The CEGEP system in Quebec is based on the quixotic idea that, while full-blown University can prepare the White Collars of tomorrow to fulfill their dreams, it is far too trying a crucible for those students with... Somewhat less lofty ambitions. There is a certain dedication of mind and spirit required by the University environment which many students, fresh out of the day-care framework of the high-school, do not possess, nor could (or should) some of them even be asked to comprehend it. CEGEP is the transitional process; while you are granted all the freedom of mind and - more importantly - body that you would expect at the very pinnacle of academia, the teaching staff is much more hands on and there remain certain constraints (such as mandatory PE) which smack of that same day-care framework which has hitherto been, of course, the vernacular of kindergarten, gradeschool and high-school.
While the ideas that govern which classes are mandatory (language laws, health initiatives, etc.) are indeed quite laudable, to demand that a student devote time and energy into a "higher-education" which does not interest him is intellectually barbaric. If, for example, a student is following technical training in electronics, why ask that he also jump through hoops to master literature and a "minimum level of physical fitness and health awareness"? I know from first hand experience how difficult the electronics classes on their own can be, to add an element of discouraging tedium to that environment is wrong.
Beyond this, the CEGEP system, and the laws associated to it, pose a far greater problem. The imposition of the system on students, some of whom are not interested, acts as a barrier preventing them from attaining the halls of academia that may just hold for them the knowledge that would excite or even spark their passion for learning and self-improvement. Entire careers are halted by the minimum delays and mandatory cegep terms which prevent very intelligent students from access to an education which is their right.
Our province is home to some universities of high-prestige and it is unfortunate that the very men and women who could and should benefit most from them are barred therefrom by those men and women whom we have elected to see our rights protected and our lot improved. It is saddening, in its own way.
While the ideas that govern which classes are mandatory (language laws, health initiatives, etc.) are indeed quite laudable, to demand that a student devote time and energy into a "higher-education" which does not interest him is intellectually barbaric. If, for example, a student is following technical training in electronics, why ask that he also jump through hoops to master literature and a "minimum level of physical fitness and health awareness"? I know from first hand experience how difficult the electronics classes on their own can be, to add an element of discouraging tedium to that environment is wrong.
Beyond this, the CEGEP system, and the laws associated to it, pose a far greater problem. The imposition of the system on students, some of whom are not interested, acts as a barrier preventing them from attaining the halls of academia that may just hold for them the knowledge that would excite or even spark their passion for learning and self-improvement. Entire careers are halted by the minimum delays and mandatory cegep terms which prevent very intelligent students from access to an education which is their right.
Our province is home to some universities of high-prestige and it is unfortunate that the very men and women who could and should benefit most from them are barred therefrom by those men and women whom we have elected to see our rights protected and our lot improved. It is saddening, in its own way.