When it comes to staff shortages in schools, Education Minister Bernard Drainville “presents figures that suit him,” accuse unions affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ).
With about a week to go before the start of the school year, we still do not know how many daycare educators or special education technicians still need to be hired, as well as psychologists or speech therapists, for example.
At a press conference in Montreal on Monday morning, the president of the Fédération des professionnelles et professionnels de l’éducation du Québec (FPPE-CSQ), Jacques Landry, said he was “quite convinced” that the minister does not want to reveal these figures “because they will worry the population.”
Last Friday, Minister Drainville revealed that there are still 5,700 teachers to be found in Quebec schools, but did not provide an overview of other employment groups in the education sector.
In the absence of figures from Quebec, the FPPE has made its own assessment: it is estimated that there is still a shortage of 3,400 school educators and a little less than 1,200 specialized education technicians on the eve of this return to school.
“Why isn’t the dashboard updated?” asked Éric Pronovost, president of the Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ), at a press conference. “We want to keep this secret because it could cause concern among the population,” added Mr. Pronovost.
Unveiled last March and presented as a “fine exercise in transparency” by the minister, the Quebec dashboard includes data on positions to be filled. This table will be updated soon, assures Minister Drainville’s office.
“We are currently in a year of transition and before communicating all the data, we want to be certain of their reliability. The ministry is currently finishing the analysis,” said Antoine de la Durantaye, press attaché to the Minister of Education, on Monday.