In recent days, the Autonomous Education Association (FAE) and the Federation of Education Trade Unions (FSE-CSQ) have reached an agreement in principle with the government.
The children return to class next week. For young people whose teachers are unionized at the FAE, we are talking about 24 consecutive days of absence, for a total of 180 days.
Therefore, Minister Bernard Drainville must come to us quickly with a plan to make up for lost time.
Spring break in the trash?
The first question is whether spring break will be maintained.
We can imagine that the government does not want to touch this week, which has existed since the beginning of time.
Especially since several parents have already planned a trip abroad. If spring break is canceled, several teens will risk missing classes.
So is it possible to extend the school year beyond the national holiday? Here too there can be resistance. Teachers will certainly not like the idea of holding classes in non-air-conditioned classrooms in July.
So what's left? Cancel all educational days? School on Saturday morning? Or end class an hour later every day?
flexibility
In the fall, the government called for more flexibility in the health and education sectors. So if there is a fundamental agreement in the education sector, we can imagine that the unions have responded positively to this issue of flexibility.
Therefore, the resumption of lost days, especially for children affected by the FAE's indefinite general strike, will be a first test of the issue of flexibility.
However, we cannot dream 2024 in color, our school network is not flexible and therefore it could collapse one day.