schools rank Background
Under the French, the clergy led education. Thus the priest shall ensure the proper maintenance of its teachers. He sees that the catechism to be taught and that boys and girls do not receive their education in the same schools. Sometimes the factories engaged in construction costs and maintenance of schools. At that time, the notable location, or the notary or sometimes the doctor in charge of a schoolmaster. According to Audet LP, there are, at the end of French rule, some 47 "small schools" which provides primary education. When the War of the Conquest in 1760 arrives, the "school system" which is only in an embryonic state, suffered serious disorders. At that time, the establishment of schools is not considered a priority. But soon you realize that the conquerors are in school a way to assimilate the French. Thus, the new colonizers are trying to integrate them into English Protestant schools. Which aims to make people even more wary instruction.
In 1801, with the founding of the "royal institution" which seeks to reduce the role of the church toward education and censor the nationalist ideology of Quebecers, we see again the struggle between church and state. With this new regulation, the government is assigned the responsibility to appoint all members of the "royal instruction" and the trustees. From this follows the delineation of districts and the development of regulations relating to education, which has the effect of reacting the clergy. "Plessis forbade his priests to participate in the establishment of this regime that it must be admitted, knew little success' (7). In 182 the situation calmed somewhat toward the clergy, with the "law schools factory" that allows each factory to devote part of its annual revenues, a quarter for the construction or maintenance of a school.
The year 1829 brought a compromise, thus was born the "Act for the Promotion of Basic Education". It was then that were emerging especially schools rank, since the parish adopted as the basis of school organization. This act gives certain powers to the State. The member responsible for the oversight of all schools its county government grants provided the schools operate for at least 90 days and have a minimum of 20 children per day. Unfortunately for the cause of education in Lower Canada, the Provisional Act of 1829, disappeared in 1836. (7).
When in 1841 it adopted a new law requiring the imposition of school taxes, spread over all the owners, it sees a wave of unpopularity among the population. Since this law is highly contested, it is replaced by a voluntary contribution, "but for a very short period of time since 1846, the school tax again became mandatory '($). For this Law, believes that parents send their children to school, but this hope is very bad since
"Lower Canada will have its" war extinguishers "violent insurgency against the implementation of school laws and especially against the collection of tax. Crisis fairly widespread across the province and not limited to Catholic circles and French-Canadian '(9).
This "war extinguishers" has the effect of several fire schools. Archives of the School Board for St. Zéphirin-de-Shefford are available only from 1853. There has been an allusion to the deterioration school. On 22 September 1862, it was resolved unanimously by the commissioners
"Since King Charles Labonté and Octavian moved laclôture and makes other depredations at home and school field No. 4. We allow these to continue Joseph Lemire Last on behalf of the Cor-poration "(lo)
During the same year:
" Lower Canada had its organic law school, separate law for this part of the province Superintendent with separate separate agencies all free from the guardianship of the municipality and also civil politics' (11)
To counter the protest, is created in 1852, the system of inspecting schools. And the inspector of schools must educate the public about the need for school tax.
Around 1859, we organized a "Board of Education." A committee composed of Catholic Bishops sit where an equal number of lay people, and a committee Protestant schools it governs 12): The birth of the Council of Public Instruction from 1860 thus meets a long felt need to establish a separation between education and politics. Develops, with this new Council, new policies affecting schools rank, giving new regulations for land development. In 1867, Lower and Upper Canada are now united and are entirely the responsibility of education and this, in their respective territories. Thus, "remains one last freedom to conquer, which is embodied in the confessional '(13), the principle thus established across the province. This committee," unique to the schools of both faiths, the y direction is However generous to the Protestants' (14). A law of 1869 aims to improve the state of things. It therefore establishes a Board of Education with two separate committees, one Catholic and one Protestant. However, "in 1875, had abolished the Ministry of Education and replace it with a Superintendent of Public Instruction appointed for life and not responsible to the House '(15). A need for reform is felt in the 1890s. The government is preparing a bill that brings an opposition of the clergy, since he refuses to see only education under the tutelage of the state. Despite this, the project is tabled in the House December 13, 1897 and was adopted January 5, 1898. The clergy makes lobbying the Legislative Council and the project is defeated. In January 1899 the government introduced new legislation, more in keeping with the wishes of bishops.
The same year, standardizes the volumes for all educational institutions and in 1942, requires children 6 to 14 years attending the school. In the two years that follow, we install the free school books. But with the early '50s, it aims to focus a little more schools in the towns and villages, to the detriment of schools in rank. This is really the creation of the Ministry of Education in 1964 that schools rank disappears.
Centralization schools rang St-Zéphirin-de-Shefford is from September 1959. This is the date that Sisters of the Assumption came to settle here under the direction of Sr. Madeleine of the Eucharist. Classes are now centralized in the village. However, all the time during which the central school building or expansion of seven classes in addition to the school of four classrooms built in 1954, students in 2nd and 3rd year must be renewed in schools Upper and Centre St-Pierre. Students in 4th, 5th and 6th year occupy the parish hall, which is divided into three.
On 15 December, the school is completed, and during the holiday period, it carries all the furnishings six classes in the new school. On January 7, 1960, holders prepare their classes, pictures, posters, etc.. and January 8, students entering their classes fresh TNT.
So our ancestors were far from free. They possessed knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Thus, any system that would spiraling out their order of values was not well seen. Although illiteracy is found among most people, this did not interfere in any way their daily work. Given this, the advent of schools in the ranks brought chaos in people's minds. It should now pay for construction and maintenance of the said school and pay a salary to the teacher,
"but we lost five days a week a young labor force that we wanted to sensitive the call of the earth, pro-fit of a teaching seemingly far removed from agricultural concerns' (16)
Despite these obstacles, the transition qu'amène the schoolhouse then challenged some of the gains in popular mentality. All this, by cons, without upsetting the so-called traditional values that are religion, language and land.
7. Ibid.P
8.Ibid 24, p25-26.
9. Groulx, Lionel. History of French Canada, Montreal, Fides, 1960. Volume II, P222.
10.Archives Commission Scolaire du Lac St-Pierre, vol. I, 1853-1871.
11.Groulx, Lionel. Op. cit. P221.
12.Hamelin, Jean et al. History of Quebec, Montreal, Ed, France-Amérique, 1977 P.441.
13: Groulx Lionel Op: cit: p 221
14, p. 350 Ibid
15.Bilodeau, Rosario et al. Stories from Canada, Montreal, Ed Hurtubise, 1975, p498.
