In the natural sciences, the Journal’s men’s ranking is dominated by two small CEGEPs, in Sorel-Tracy and Baie-Comeau, where boys graduate well beyond expectations.
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For the director of Cégep de Sorel-Tracy, there is no doubt that the size of the establishment, with its 1,300 students, makes all the difference.
“We are a very small CEGEP and I would say that is a great strength,” says Stéphanie Desmarais, who speaks of a college “on a human scale”.
The bond between students and teachers is strong, since they are “super available” and involved in extracurricular activities. “It creates links with the teachers outside of class that are beneficial in the classroom,” says Ms. Desmarais.
Despite its small size, the CEGEP also has more than a dozen sports teams. The proportion of students who practice a sport is 13%, which inevitably has a beneficial effect on boys, adds Ms. Desmarais.
The story is similar to Cégep de Baie-Comeau, where the graduation rate for boys in the natural sciences is among the highest in the province.
“Our great strength is people. We leave no one behind,” says its general manager, Manon Couturier.
What makes all the difference are first and foremost the teachers, she says. “We have a small cohort of students, so it allows them to have a much more individualized approach with our students. They are convinced that all students can succeed.”
Jacob Girard, a student in the natural sciences, confirms this. “You can go see your teachers pretty much anytime,” he says. He even happened to go and ask questions to his math teacher while the teacher was in class with another group of students, says the young man.
The Cégep has also developed “strong ties” with the two secondary schools in Baie-Comeau. The CEGEP math teacher speaks directly with her high school colleagues, which allows her to have a better portrait of the students who arrive in her class each fall, adds Manon Couturier.
Even if she disagrees with the comparisons between establishments generated by the Journal’s rankings, the Executive Director nevertheless considers that the presentation of data by gender is interesting since it gives establishments the opportunity to deepen their reflection in this regard. .
“It’s important that we take care of our boys,” she says.
photo-source position-absolute" itemprop="copyrightHolder"> Photo Courtesy, Cégep de Sorel-Tracy
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College sports teams encourage boys to continue their studies
In high school and college, sport can be a powerful antidote to dropping out of school. Antony Héroux is convinced that he would have dropped out of school if he hadn’t had basketball to motivate him to get up in the morning to go to CEGEP.
“Fortunately I had basketball because that’s why I continued to go to school. I often thought of sacrificing all that there to go to work in shops, but it was really the Rebelles team at CEGEP that pushed me to get my diploma, ”he says.
Now 23, the former Cégep de Sorel-Tracy student first failed a French course, which then delayed him a year in his nursing training. He subsequently failed the next course, which made him question everything.
“I had come close to letting everything go, but basketball is what pushed me to continue. It is what made that I had my diploma , tells the young man who practices this sport since the third year of the primary education.
At the Fédération des cégeps, we are convinced that sport can make all the difference, especially for boys.
“It seems cliché, but we have too many testimonies not to name this reality,” says its president and CEO, Bernard Tremblay.
The success rate is often higher among boys who are registered in sports teams, as is the case at the Cégep de Rimouski, in particular.
In recent years, the creation of collegiate electronic sports league (better known as sport) has also had “an impact” on the boys, even if the initiative is not unanimous, adds Mr. Tremblay.
Félix-Antoine Kakos, a student in environmental technology, occupational health and safety, is part of his college’s esports team “It allowed me to make a lot more friends at CEGEP, we work a lot as a team, he said. I find it fantastic.”
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