This request was passed by the federal parliament, resulting in Royal Assent being granted to the Constitutional Amendment, 1997, (Quebec).
In 2005 the government of Premier Jean Charest decided not to renew the clause, abrogate Article 5 of the Public Education Act, modify Article 41 of the Quebec Charter of Rights and then eliminate the choice in moral and religious instruction that existed previously and, finally, impose a controversial new Ethics and religious culture curriculum to all schools, even the private ones.
The figure is even higher in urban centres such as Montreal, where 30% of high school students are in the private sector.
The Quebec public sector teachers' unions oppose any form of subsidy to private schools.
They claim (1) that private schools select only the brightest and most capable students and reject children with learning difficulties, and argue (2) that by doing this they leave a burden to the public sector.
[6] On the other hand, English school board commissioners remain on the job until November 1, 2020, but they will then involve four staff members, four community representatives and between eight and seventeen parents.
[5] Students may pursue post-secondary education after completing compulsory schooling (elementary and secondary) in Quebec.
Both private and public institutions (CEGEPs, which is officially coined in French as Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel) of this type exist within the province.
Hence, although some exceptions exist, successful completion of college education in Quebec is generally required to gain qualifications for university admission.
Students completing college earn the Diplôme d'études collégiales sometimes with other designations attached to this title.
Of interest, the term CEGEP can only legally be used to describe the state-run post-secondary (post-grade 11) schools, where tuition is free.
The 26 private institutions which offer a post-secondary program recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education receive a subsidy for each of their 15,000 students, and grant the same diplomas as the public colleges.
Unlike the state-run colleges, the private post-secondary schools do not have to combine pre-university and vocational programs in one institution.
[citation needed] Holders of the two-year college diploma still must complete a minimum of three years of university education in order to obtain a bachelor's degree.
Under Canadian law, bachelor's degrees from government-accredited universities in Canada are considered equal, whether from Quebec or other provinces.
However, given that college diploma holders are granted up to one year of advanced standing credit at any university, it is clear that this is not the case.
Graduates of two-year college programs often receive up to one year of advanced standing at universities outside of Quebec, but no more than this.
In addition to formerly private institutions, the government of Quebec founded a network of universities in several cities across the province, called the Université du Québec.
From the standpoint of post-secondary institutions outside of Quebec who may be trying to determine transfer credit, there are essentially two ways in which to interpret the two-year college program, bolstered by local and countrywide legislation.