The Regroupement national des directions générales de l'éducation (RNDGE) is delighted to announce that Alain Laberge, Superintendant of Education for the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM), has been awarded the 2024 Edgar-Gallant prize.
Alain Laberge, winner of the Edgar Gallant 2024.
Each year, the award recognizes a senior school leader who has made an outstanding contribution to French-language education in a minority setting.
Mr. Laberge's passion for Francophone education in a minority context is evident in his visionary leadership and his innovative approaches based on data and educational research. He has optimized school program offerings within the DSFM, and has effectively managed crises and their aftermath, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges that come with international travel offered to students.
Since his appointment in January 2014 as Superintendant of Education at the DSFM, which encompasses 24 schools and an adult learning center in Manitoba, Alain Laberge has enabled the creation of trades including a French-language training program in catering and tourism. In 2019, he also contributed to an agreement with the Université de Saint-Boniface to strengthen and formalize collaborations between the two organizations and align their objectives for the development of a French-language continuum in the province.
His career has also seen him play key roles in French-language education in British Columbia, notably as a remedial teacher, school principal and vice-principal. He was also Director General of a school service center in Quebec, then known as the Commission scolaire de Sorel-Tracy.
Alain Laberge has been a member of the executive committee of the Regroupement national des directions générales de l'éducation since 2015, and subsequently served as president of RNDGE from 2016 to 2018. He has represented the RNDGE at national forums on French first-language education, such as the Table nationale sur l'éducation and the Comité tripartite. Throughout his participation at this forum, he has always emphasized the importance of developing and consolidating French-language educational services in minority communities, from early childhood to adulthood.
In 2017, Mr. Laberge also hosted RNDGE's summer training session on the theme "L'espace francophone d'ici et d'ailleurs". Mr. Laberge also sat on the consultation table set up by the federal government to assess the feasibility of including questions in the 2021 census to count the children of French-language rights holders. Finally, he is one of the instigators of the perseverance scholarships established by the RNDGE in 2018 to reward and highlight the success of learners, regardless of their academic results.
Convinced of the importance of keeping close ties with the Francophonie across Canada, Alain Laberge has also been involved in developing and holding conferences in partnership with key educational organizations such as the Association canadienne d'éducation de langue française (ACELF), the Association canadienne des professionnels de l'immersion (ACPI) and the Association des directions générales scolaires du Québec (ADGSQ). Every two years, the latter holds a joint annual conference with the Regroupement national des directions générales de l'éducation (RNDGE).
His commitment and leadership continue to inspire and strengthen the francophone educational community.
"It's an honor that I accept with great humility. An educator's journey is never complete, and is nourished by the people around him. In this respect, I'd like to thank all my colleagues, past and present, for their support," he declared on receiving his award.
Alain Laberge holds a Master's degree in Educational Administration from the University of Manitoba, obtained at the Université de Saint-Boniface (formerly Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface).
The Edgar-Gallant Award, established in 2002, honours the memory of Edgar Gallant, a respected public servant and seasoned administrator. Mr. Gallant served in the federal Public Service, distinguishing himself in Canadian international and intergovernmental economic relations. He was instrumental in establishing school governance rights for French-speaking minority communities in Canada. Edgar Gallant passed away in 2019, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of Francophone education.
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