OPEN TO TRANSFORMATION
Transformations at the Heart of Events in Society
…a landowner went out early in the morning
to hire labourers for his vineyard. (Mt. 20: 1)
The decree on religious life, Perfectae Caritatis, promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, recommended taking into account the characteristics of the world of that time (1965). And what, in Quebec, came to be called the Quiet Revolution, a time of turmoil and of social, ecclesiastical and religious unrest, provided us with more than we needed as background.
A great upheaval
The Quiet Revolution with its slogan "Things have to change!” affected the world of education as never before. With little or no regard for the religious communities who had, until then, played a surrogate role, the government decided to assume its responsibilities. In 1964, it created the Ministry of Education and established greater cohesion in its public education network. From then on, it would be the State that would control the programs, the choice of textbooks, the way to validate diplomas, etc.
As a result, classical colleges would disappear to make way for Comprehensive High Schools and CEGEPs. The public network would extend to outlying regions. Teachers’ training would take place at the university level, marking the end of Teachers' Colleges and classical courses. The secularization of education was in process, with the confessional status no longer reflecting a multiethnic society.