With three weeks to go before primary and secondary school classes resume, the Mauricie and Center-du-Québec School Service Centers are in recruitment mode to fill the teacher shortage.
“We always try to find solutions. We know we need to attract and keep people. It needs decent working conditions,” said the president of the Vieilles-Forges teachers’ union, Stéphan Béland, on Friday.
On the south coast of Trois-Rivières, in the Center de services scolaire (CSS) de la Riveraine, classes were given this Friday. A few still have to find a teacher before the start of the school year. At CSS Chemin-du-Roy, the job allocation will take place next week.
Managers anticipate a scenario similar to last year, when all positions were filled before classes started. However, it is the lack of replacements that worries the union.
“The number of teachers on our job priority lists is declining. This means that when you are absent, there are fewer and fewer people there. It can get worrying. You have to have people in front of the classes,” Mr. Béland recalled.
The saviors of the region are the students of the teaching program of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Some will be able to fill in.
“We’ve gained a sense of freedom from the duties of being able to help each other, to be a facilitator for people who are new to our classes, have not completed their education, or are about to leave,” he added.
As for bus transport, the carriers refuse to sign the contracts, believing that the bonus granted is not enough to offset the increase in costs. However, this situation will not affect the area.
“There are 60% of the airlines in the province whose contract expired in June. You have not yet renewed because the clauses are not satisfactory. We have three years left in our agreements. We had fuel clauses that were readjusted. With that, we are on our way to the start of the school year on September 1,” confirms Normand Hélie, Vice President of Transport Scolaire Hélie.