The Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, said Thursday he was considering paying students during their last internship in the baccalaureate in teaching.
“Eventually, it will have to come to that,” said the elected official regarding the possibility of paying future teachers during their internships. Mr. Drainville refused to say more about the timetable he has given himself to make this desire a reality.
His colleague Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, then gave some details. “On the remuneration of internships, we look a little at internship 4 in teaching. I know that in teaching, there are challenges. With all the measures we are putting forward, there are challenges, we know it, we look at the figures. But we are working on it,” she assured.
Paid internships in education “will happen eventually,” she added. “We are currently looking at the scenarios,” she replied when journalists asked her about the time that Quebec is giving itself to achieve this commitment.
“There are several measures that have been put in place. It’s a series of measures that will help reverse this trend. Reversing a trend is difficult, so we’re working on it,” M also said.me Déry.
Faculties of education are once again observing a drop in registrations in programs leading to the teaching profession. Remuneration during internships has been a long-standing request from students. Remember that in the fourth and final internship, a student is called upon to assume the full responsibilities of the teaching task.
Variations in registrations
At the University of Montreal, total registrations in undergraduate and graduate education programs increased from 873 in 2022 to 724 in 2023, then to 698 in 2024.
At the University of Sherbrooke, the number of new registered students increased from 567 in 2017 to 599 in 2024, according to preliminary data provided by the institution. Four programs are recording declines in student numbers, while the bachelor’s degree in physical education teaching and the qualifying master’s degree in secondary teaching are attracting more students than seven years ago.
At the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), the number of students registered in undergraduate and graduate education programs increased slightly, from 4,288 in 2023 to 4,306 in 2024, according to preliminary data. The second cycle attracted fewer students this year, but the first cycle aroused more interest: the number of people enrolled increased from 3,868 in 2023 to 3,899 in 2024.
UQAM has also decided to suspend, for a second year in a row, admissions to the secondary profile of the bachelor’s degree in teaching in academic and social adaptation, in particular because the university wishes to continue overhauling the program.
“As for the preschool-primary profile of the baccalaureate in teaching in educational and social adaptation, this year it welcomes 120 new students, surpassing the contingent established at 110 people,” wrote to Duty Jenny Desrochers, director of press relations.