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CAUT Bulletin Archives
1996-2016

February 2010

Education for the World, Education for All

Quebec Education in the Context of Globalization

Jocelyn Berthelot. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2009; 224 pp; ISBN: 978-1-89756-914-6, paper $15 CA.
Today’s cheerleaders for globalization are actually advocating a form of ultraliberalism reminiscent of the unregulated capitalism of the nineteenth century. Their vision of the world is threatening many of the gains achieved in the West. And education, too, is being caught up in the current. Jocelyn Berthelot explains the educational model neo-liberal globalization has engendered, a model that is spreading throughout the world, and examines the situation in Que­bec within this broader context. He suggests a comprehensive policy for disadvantaged communities and students with special needs and argues convincingly for the need to continue improving school participation. Finally, he proposes a new deal for education to put an end to the apartheid that is gradually taking hold in Quebec schools and elsewhere. Essential reading for anyone interested in what is happening in Quebec schools, colleges and universities, this book is also a valuable guide to the neo-liberal-driven international restructuring of education and the resistance it has encountered. It also demonstrates how education can evolve to reflect a humanist vision of globalization instead of the corporate-driven approach which is a reality in so many communities.

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Book information supplied by publisher.