Quebec raises subsidy for home-schooling to $1,000 per year

The Couillard government is increasing its subsidy for school boards forhome-schooled children to $1,000 per year starting in September.

The decision follows a spikein the number of home-schooled children from Quebec'sHasidic community.

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In September, 2015, more than 600 Hasidic Jewish children were registered with the English Montreal School Board and were home-schooled.

The chairof the EMSB, Angela Mancini, said the boardneeded extra resources to handle the demand.

"We need extra personnel to verify the portfolios, for example. It's challenging to find the resources to followup," Mancini said.

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The subsidy from Quebecis up 62 per cent from $616.

School boards need resources

Sbastien Proulx, the minister of education, said it was important school boards have the resources to supervise children taught by their parents.

"We want to increase the school boards' capacity to supervise home-schooled children to ensure they are taught to a high standard," Proulx said.

For the 2014-2015 school year,there were 1,300 children in official home-schooling programs. For the following school year, the number wasprojected to be closer to 2,000 including Hasidic students.

Over the past few years the Education Ministry had reduced the subsidy for home-schooled students by 28 per cent.

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