(Quebec) The shortage of teachers in education is deepening and the latest data suggests the problem may be getting worse. Experts now fear that the first losers will once again be students with learning disabilities, jeopardizing Quebec’s targeted increase in graduation rates.
Published at 1:04 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
Against this background, the school management fears that it will no longer be able to guarantee the quality of the educational offerings at all times, despite legal requirements.
Almost two months after classes began, as of October 16, Quebec public schools still had 917 teaching positions to fill (175 regular full-time positions, 367 part-time positions at 100% of duty and 375 part-time positions). Time positions below 100% of the task). All school service centers and school authorities took part in this data collection.
In 2022, on the same date, 51 out of 72 school service centers and school authorities had registered 542 teaching positions to be filled, all categories combined. According to a report by Le Journal de Québec, as of October 19, 2022, 96 regular full-time positions were still vacant. This year, the week of October 16, there were 175.
“It is important to note that a vacancy does not automatically mean that a class is missing a teacher, as the school law stipulates that teaching is compulsory. Until the position is filled by an incumbent, the [centre de services scolaire] offers alternative solutions to maintain the service,” recalls the Ministry of Education.
“It is normal that there are always numerous vacancies. […] Several unforeseen events during the year can explain everything: preventive layoffs, maternity leave, disability, layoffs, unforeseen retirements, arrival of immigrants and opening of new classes, unpaid leave, etc. “, we add.
Compromised goals for success
The Legault government wants to increase secondary school graduation and qualification rates from 84% to 90%. According to Égide Royer, specialist in academic success and associate professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Laval, the shortage of teachers in the network jeopardizes the achievement of this goal.
“What is most striking at the moment is the lack of special education teachers,” specifies Mr. Royer. He recalls that the proportion of young people in difficulty who have an intervention plan also reaches 33% in public secondary schools in Quebec.
If you are a school principal and there are two teachers missing for French level 3 of the secondary school, it’s no fun. But if you’re missing two teachers for special education classes, it’s even less fun.
Égide Royer, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at Laval University
“Does the shortage of teachers have an impact on student success? The tall girl in the fourth grade who does well in school will come to college with less content, but she can manage. But someone who already had serious learning difficulties and is placed in a class with a teacher who has no training in teaching will be even more affected,” the expert adds.
Isabelle Archambault, a professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal and holder of the Canada Research Chair on Schools, Well-Being and Educational Achievement of Young People, reiterates that “there is cause for concern.” [puisque la pénurie d’enseignants] This leads to great instability among children and young people who face major challenges and need a clear framework to function.”
“Labor shortages affect multiple sectors and it is certain that in sectors where jobs are lower paid and where people feel less valued in their roles, it is difficult to retain people who move on to other jobs,” says she.
“The shortage will get worse”
Montreal Association of School Directors (AMDES) president Kathleen Legault is concerned. She reiterates that the shortage of teachers is a phenomenon that will increase by 2030 and fears that the leaders of the network will no longer be able to ensure the quality of educational services in their institutions.
“The shortage is expected to increase until 2030. What concerns me is that we are not taking enough action to attract and retain young people, skilled workers and experienced staff,” she says.
Ultimately, we may question the school’s ability to provide educational services to all students from Monday to Friday.
Kathleen Legault, President of the Montreal Association of School Directors (AMDES)
If you look at the most recent data from the Ministry of Education on the number of apprenticeships to be filled, the situation in the metropolitan region is much more dramatic. Ms. Legault points out that the spread of reception classes in Montreal is increasing the need for workers. The people hired as reinforcements during the year have not always completed apprenticeship training. These unqualified teachers sometimes have difficulty meeting expectations and some quit their jobs after a while because they realize the magnitude of the task.
The president of the Quebec Federation of Educational Institution Directors (FQDE), Nicolas Prévost, shares these concerns. At a recent meeting with the ministry, he said he fears school management will one day be forced to close classes on certain days of the week if the shortage worsens.
“We have a duty to create a high-quality educational climate, and that is currently not always what we deliver as school leaders,” he laments.