A social worker quickly alerted principal Yannick Dupont, who disappeared into a storage room and returned to hand over a pair of tiny boots.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc.
“It was hard at first because we did not know the language. One of the social workers at the school had to help me fill in the paperwork. I hope Travis learns the language fast because without the French things get complicated.” The federal government says about 51,340 asylum seekers arrived in Quebec in 2022, compared to 7,290 would-be refugees who entered the country through the province in 2021.
Sayah started teaching welcome classes at St. Donat in November. She said she is impressed by the children’s motivation to learn French. About 80 per cent of students in Quebec’s welcome classes are children of asylum seekers. Since the beginning of the school year, St. Donat’s school board — Centre de services scolaire de Montreal, which oversees 187 education institutions with more than 110,000 students — has registered 2,000 students in the intensive French courses and opened 150 new welcome classes.Article content