Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport – Consistency with regard to the established rule

The complaint

A student complained that the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport refused to award her a Secondary School Diploma (SSD).

In 1992, the student received credit for various Secondary V classes, which were recorded on her official transcript. However, she was missing elective course credits to be able to obtain her SSD.

In 2009, she was admitted to a vocational training program that required her to have Secondary IV primary language class credits. This was not an issue for the student since the school board had awarded her Secondary V class credits after she had completed a placement test.

Through the vocational training program, the student was able to earn the credits needed to obtain her SSD. She applied for her diploma and received contradictory information. Both the school board and Department, for different reasons, lowered the equivalency credits that she had already received and refused her the diploma.

The student was confused by the conflicting interpretations. She was redirected by the Department to the school board, which asked her to register for a course that was not necessary for her to obtain her diploma.

The investigation

• Clearly, there was confusion in the information the student received from the Department and the school board.
• The Department refused to recognize the credits previously awarded in its own official transcripts and to speak with the school board to clarify the situation.
• Under the Act respecting administrative justice, the Department should at least have ensured that the student had the right information and that she was not subject to an unnecessary requirement, i.e., a course she did not have to take.

The Québec Ombudsman’s conclusions

Considering the degree of confusion and the student’s academic record, the Québec Ombudsman requested that the Department award her a Secondary School Diploma.

The Department agreed to act on the Québec Ombudsman’s request. The student obtained the diploma she had applied for.