School, as we conceived it, with teachers who teach and students who learn, no longer works. The time has come to roll up our sleeves after years of education reforms that have led to the sclerosis of the vital forces of our society. Our children, their teachers, especially precarious staff, are in crisis… for too long.
This is why many stakeholders in the sector are calling for a general meeting to renew the school system.
For at least 20 years, a slow and accelerating slide has been taking place, caused by the lack of time and assessments of mastery of French and English as the language of instruction, by the lack of integrated knowledge, of common culture and reference, the lack of concentration and the ability to synthesize, and worst of all, intimidation.
With new technologies, cheating and plagiarism are erected as a system of ignorance… disguised as surface knowledge. It is the leveling down of knowledge and humanity. This lack of framework has also gradually devalued our profession.
Parents are overwhelmed. Recently, the Dr Jean-François Chicoine, a pediatrician, said that children are more anxious, sad, angry. This does not put them in a position to be educated.
In a context of a crisis of authority that began at the beginning of the 20th centurye century, we have the perfect recipe for a predicted shipwreck.
Precariousness
The alarm bell rang with the teachers’ strike last fall in Quebec. The latest collective agreement (June 2024) offers only paltry band-aids. Teacher training is not adequate.
In adult francization, this deplorable situation is caused by the end of increases in the amounts allocated to school service centers, while registrations are increasing. At the same time, the Quebec government announced a “bold $603 million plan to reverse the decline of French in Quebec” with, among other things, the objective of “increasing the francization of temporary foreign workers and asylum seekers.” What should we understand?
The precariousness of teaching staff is increasing, especially in adult education. The working conditions of hourly rate teachers, some of whom are not legally qualified. The precariousness of teachers is mainly caused by the non-recognition of disciplinary diplomas and the blockages of registrations for training leading to the certificate.
Abandon
This secondary adult sector has always attracted more and more teachers without a certificate, with extensive knowledge relevant to their subject, a great wealth.
With the shortage, the number of precarious hourly jobs is increasing. For 50 years, unions have been powerless to resolve the situation. These career teaching professionals find themselves on half salary—less than the equivalent of a bus driver’s salary—without sick leave or paid vacations, and eventually, with a half-retirement…
Precariousness in education responds to needs for flexibility to cope with variable enrollment rates. But for precarious teachers, this management is a real scourge for identity, recognition and professional development.
For example, a professional translator or a musician will not be able to teach in secondary school. They are forced into precarious employment for years, despite their specialist diplomas in the subject they teach. They are also automatically refused entry to training leading to a certificate in education faculties.
Their experience does not count as credits; their related and relevant courses are little or not recognized. University policies for the recognition of prior learning and skills (RAC) are not applied. They must do unrealistic and long preparatory courses to be admitted to these qualifying training courses of 2e cycle or do another 4-year baccalaureate in education.
While being experts in their field, these professionals are attracted to teaching because they have an innate taste, an instinct for teaching. Let’s open the doors to them with a flexible and open training of ten courses of 1er cycle in pedagogy, particularly for adult education.
Artificial shortage
Solutions exist, but have been swept aside by universities since the closure of the adult training program leading to the certificate in 2004. There was also a certificate in pedagogy until 1994. TELUQ University recently offered a short 2-year diplomae cycle, but difficult to access.
Finally, adult education would need a single, independent, national school service centre and a single union focused on the particular needs of its members.
In memoriam. I pay tribute to my colleagues and precarious workers Michèle Daoust-Payette and Monica Bautista, who campaigned with me to have our diplomas recognized, at a time when there was no longer any qualifying training as adult trainers. I will remember them for the excellence of their class, their courage, their kindness and their desire to transmit the Quebec language and culture to adult immigrants.
Ready for a miracle? Last week, Minister Bernard Drainville expressed his desire to “change the negative narrative” surrounding the education sector.
To achieve this, we hope for a mobilization of vital forces and an improvement in working conditions to attract and retain young people and professionals in the teaching profession, as Paul Gérin-Lajoie did in 1961 with the Parent Commission and the Great Charter of Education and Jacques Parizeau in 1995 with the Estates General on Education.
A miracle is a change of mindset. Is it coming soon?