MONTREAL — Three chassidic schools in Outremont have signed an agreement with the Quebec government promising that their curricula will conform with provincial law by 2013.

Radio-Canada reported that it learned of the agreement through the access to information act.

The institutions in question are for teenaged boys.

The education ministry found that no French as a second language was taught at the schools, according the documents Radio-Canada obtained.

Instruction in a number of other compulsory subjects was also found to be insufficient: only 10 per cent of English and geography, 45 per cent of sciences and technology, and 80 per of mathematics, as prescribed by the government.

However, no agreement could be reaching on the teaching of the province’s new ethics and religious culture course, introduced this year.

Yann Bernard, the lawyer who negotiated the agreement, told Radio-Canada that the community would like its children exempted from the course, which introduces students to Christianity, Judaism, aboriginal beliefs and other religions and philosophies.

Education Minister Michelle Courchesne, however, has indicated there will be no exemptions.

Compiled by CJN Staff