Dropping Out Starts at a Young Age

Donat Jean-Pierre
March 3, 2011
Matimekush

"It's like sending a Quebecker to China to study."

Donat Jean-Pierre, Innu

For all children, school is a challenge. For the young Innu of Matimekush, this challenge is twofold. After kindergarten, they start learning in French, a second language for most of them. Adapting to a new education system also requires a lot of effort. The outcome isn’t certain and the risk of dropping out is already there. Although many will drop out in high school, the desire to drop out starts to develop in elementary school, says Donat Jean-Pierre. Which is why elementary school doesn’t always lead to high school.