Education

Quebec’s Education Minister Cracks Down on Religious Students

Secularism is an important aspect of Canada’s identity as a nation. Though the country has a large religious population, the government of Canada values secularism, which is the separation of church and state. The education minister of Quebec, Bernard Drainville, issued a directive in April 2023 to ban students from gathering together to pray while in school. Read on to learn about the background of this issue and what this crackdown on religious students means for schools and families.

Schools in Montreal Gave Students a Room for Prayer

Education minister Drainville decided to issue a directive because he discovered that some schools in Montreal had given students rooms in which to pray together. The schools reported that students were not forced to pray or exposed to religious messages against their will, but this didn’t ease Drainville’s mind or make him change directions. He felt that any group worship in schools went against Quebec’s secularism law. 

In 2019, the government of Quebec passed the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, also known as Bill 21. This bill made it illegal for government employees, including in schools, to wear any religious symbols while at work. In a broader sense, Bill 21 invokes secularism as the law of the land in Quebec, laying the groundwork for other directives to enforce secularism at every level of society when it comes to government services such as education.

Education Authorities Ban Prayer Rooms in Schools

Minister Drainville’s directive is meant to direct schools to ban prayer rooms and prayer groups in schools in Quebec. It seems that Drainville doesn’t want to see prayer happening visibly at all in schools. Regarding his directive to ban prayer rooms, he explained that students can pray as long as they do so individually and quietly. Of course, Christians and Catholics may find it easier to conform to this regulation than Muslims, considering that group prayer is an important part of the tradition of worship in Islam.

The ban may apply to extracurricular activities and after-hours activities because it has enough vague language to enforce in a variety of situations. So, while the motivation behind Drainville’s ban may seem harmless, the enforcement of the ban could end up encroaching on students’ freedoms and human rights. The application of such a ban tends to affect non-Christians more than Christians, which makes it appear like an attack on people of certain religions more than others.

Religion and Culture Play Important Roles in Student Education Life

Canada’s Human Rights Commission is looking further into this issue because religion and culture play important roles in students’ lives. Banning prayer rooms for the sake of protecting non-religious students isn’t as innocuous as it seems. For some students, religion, culture, and identity are intimately connected, and when they have to suppress or ignore a part of their identity to exist at school, it can feel harmful and upsetting to them.

One of the issues is that young people, especially students, often suffer more intrusions on their human rights because they are young and in school. Student speech is censored, they can get in serious trouble for protesting or holding demonstrations, and they often can’t express their identities through clothing, style, and accessories. This religious ban further erodes students’ rights in the name of protecting non-religious students from being pressured to follow a religion. Some Muslim groups see this ban as another veiled attack against their community with language that invokes an unfounded fear of religious radicalism in Canada.

Although the education minister received some negative backlash for issuing his directive to ban prayer rooms in schools, he did not back down. Minister Drainville expects school officials to enforce these policies and ensure that students are not praying in schools.

Reduce the Risk of Divorce

New marriages risk ending in divorce.

New marriages risk ending in divorce.

If you’re thinking about marriage, you’re probably already in love and spent a long time wondering if you can really spend the rest of your life with the person you care about. No one goes into a marriage thinking about a divorce, but the statistics show that about 48 percent of Canadian marriages won’t last. In comparison, the divorce rate in the United States is about 53 percent, while Belgium holds the highest rate of 71 percent. At 15 percent, Mexico has the lowest divorce rate, internationally. Instead of moving to Mexico to protect your marriage against divorce, learn more about the research behind what makes a marriage last.

It’s About Education

The Pew Research Center, a fact tank in the United States, recently found that having a bachelor’s degree significantly increased a woman’s chance of staying married for more than 20 years. Women with some college or only a high school degree had a probability of 49 percent or lower of maintaining their marriage, while those who completed their degree had a 78 percent chance of staying married for more than two decades. The couples who were part of the study had either separated or divorced. Death was not calculated in this research.

Similar findings were found with men. Two-thirds of the men who held a bachelor’s degree were found to be married after 20 years, while only about 50 percent of the men with a high school diploma held that distinction. Hispanic men had higher marriage longevity rates over white men and black men. It was Asian women who had the best chance of staying together with their partner.

This particular study does not examine why a college education makes divorce less likely. However, having a bachelor’s degree certainly makes a person more employable, which leads to financial security. When a couple isn’t financially stressed, their marriage has a better chance of making it through the long haul. Another benefit of having a degree is that the couple is probably older. Both have had a chance to create experiences outside of their family unit. This can give someone confidence when choosing their partner. Interestingly, this study does not address faith or religion in marriage.

More Siblings Could Be Another Indicator

Another study from 2013 links the number of siblings one has to a lower chance of getting divorced. It’s a small percentage, just two percent for each sister or brother one has. Although this is just one factor involved, some researchers aren’t convinced about this theory. Whether it’s scientifically proven or not, consider that someone who comes from a large family may be more family-oriented. In addition, they have developed social skills that are needed to live very close to someone as you might in a marriage.

Find an Educated Partner

Another interesting finding in the Pew Study was that cohabitation did not increase the chance of a marriage lasting. Men and women who did not live together before they got married were more likely to divorce or separate. However, being engaged while cohabiting did increase the odds of staying together, especially with men. Couples who do not live together before marriage may be predisposed against divorce, which could be reason for this. Unfortunately, the study did not address other factors in why couples stayed together.

It might seem cold and calculated to consider your partner’s education or background when considering marriage. Consider the expense of a divorce five or 10 years down the road. If you want your marriage to work, you need to give it the best odds. Go ahead and finish your college education before the wedding. It will put you and your future spouse on the right path to success in your partnership.