What does the educational year 2023 have in store for us? With the arrival of Bernard Drainville at the helm of the Department of Education, many are holding their breath, impatient to know what solutions will be put in place to repair the school network if education is to be “the priority of priorities,” according to the Legault government.
Schools still in poor condition
Despite the investments made in recent years, more than half of the schools are still in poor condition. A record number even had to be demolished because these buildings were in too bad a condition to be renovated. During the election campaign, the Legault administration pledged to spend $2 billion more than planned on building renovations, for a total of $9 billion. Whether the labor shortage will slow construction sites remains to be seen. Clean-up work on the presence of lead in water has not yet been completed in all schools, while air quality concerns remain. C02 readers are installed in all classes, but the solution still relies mainly on opening the windows, the teachers’ unions complain.
Lack of teachers and school staff
School staff shortages made headlines throughout the fall. Hundreds of teaching, specialist and support positions are still vacant, which has a very concrete effect on the offers for students. Under pressure from all sides, Minister Drainville has already indicated that this is his “greatest professional challenge”. School officials are hoping Quebec will give the green light to a shorter teacher training course, while universities are refusing to continue training at a discount. For their part, school administrations hope for more flexibility in order to enable future teachers to work in schools during their university education.
Negotiations in the school network
The collective agreements in the school network expire this spring and expectations are high. To counteract the shortage, the unions are demanding wage increases, but also better working conditions. In particular, the teachers are calling for a reduction in the number of students in the most difficult groups in order to relieve them. Pressure tactics could be launched by the end of the school year, depending on the progress of discussions around the negotiating table.
Help students in trouble
The learning delays caused by the pandemic are very real, and in schools many are decrying the lack of services to help struggling students. Many parents are forced to turn to the costly private sector to help their child. During the election campaign, the Legault government pledged to improve the tutoring program in schools and create a virtual platform that would allow students to receive services remotely, regardless of where they live. Meanwhile, a reform of the funding of services for students in difficulty is slowly underway, although this is not unanimous.
Three speed school
Education Minister Bernard Drainville, upon arriving at the National Assembly, was quick to indicate that he had no intention of attacking the three-tier school. However, the inequalities created by private schools, special selection programs in public schools and mainstream classes have been loudly and clearly denounced by educational and civil society actors in recent years. For his part, Minister Drainville indicated that he would like to expand the range of specific programs in sports, arts or science, for example. It remains to be seen whether these programs will be reserved for the best-graded students.
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