The Government of Quebec grants $1.35 million per year to the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) so that it can settle permanently in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region .
Prime Minister François Legault made the announcement on Wednesday during a visit to the campus of the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
The money will go to four main areas of university study: management sciences, nursing, social work and preschool and primary education.
The premier says the goal is to keep young people in the area for nursing, social work and teaching positions.
“In addition to the regular loans and bursaries, there is a $5,000 bursary that will be awarded in these [three] sectors,” he said. “There is nothing better than someone who knows the area to fill a position. It will help.”
The government assistance will enable UQAR to offer university courses on the three main CEGEP campuses, namely in Gaspé, Carleton-sur-Mer and Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
Legault specifies that teachers will be on hand to teach because distance learning “is not the best way to motivate someone,” he said.
During the press conference, the rector of UQAR, François Deschênes, also spoke about the importance of training young people locally.
He points out that more than 75% of people trained at UQAR subsequently obtain employment in the region.
— This report from The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 20, 2022.
