It is this Thursday that the consultations begin in Quebec on the Drainville reform, which aims to modify school governance. The centralization of powers and possible micromanagement by the minister are of concern to school administrators, who are also demanding that the new National Institute for Excellence in Education (INEÉ) be independent.
“The more decisions we make that are close to the student, the family and neighborhood partners, in theory, the better we respond to needs,” says Kathleen Legault, president of the Montreal Association of School Principals ( AMDES), which recalls that “the principle of subsidiarity” is enshrined in the Education Act. “We are not sure that we are going in the right direction. »
The associations, unions, organizations and experts, present by invitation, will submit their briefs and parade before the Committee on Culture and Education until next Tuesday to share their points of view and recommendations.
With Bill 23, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, gives himself the power to annul the decisions of school service centres, to appoint and dismiss their directors general and to have a say in the continuing education of teachers.
The Federation of School Service Centers of Quebec did not wish to grant an interview before his visit on Thursday.
” Board of directors [des centres de services scolaires] loses power, insists Kathleen Legault. Could he at least have the power to recommend candidates for general management? Or the possibility of proposing a profile? »
The Quebec Federation of Educational Establishment Directors thinks that it is imperative to ensure that the Minister does not sink into micromanagement. “We agree that he can question, get information and correct the situation. But not impose means and ways of doing things, underlines the president, Nicolas Prévost. It would be very dangerous to go that far. »
Despite these “important nuances,” he sees several positive aspects, overall, for principals. “It’s going to help us,” he said. That the Minister has a dashboard and information, instead of asking us for information every two days, that will give us a hand. »
The more restricted mission of the Higher Education Council (CSE), which will henceforth be limited to questions relating to higher education, is nevertheless worrying. “We are losing an important instance,” launches Nicolas Prévost.
“We surveyed our members, and 84% of them are concerned about the loss of CSE mandates,” adds the president of AMDES, who has worked for a long time with the opinions that it formulates. The Council should instead keep its current form, she believes, and could be complementary to the National Institute for Excellence in Education, which will bring together experts.
“The Board of Governors is a body where civil society expresses itself and where we have a broader vision. Both can be interesting”, believes Kathleen Legault, who compares the CSE to “a pebble in the shoe” and who reminds the Minister that “the people before him may not have made the right decisions “.
The creation of the Institute, which will focus on the training of future teachers and which will identify best practices for the preschool, primary and secondary levels, is welcomed. But its independence must be preserved, insist the various associations, and it must not be used “to tell us what to do in schools”.
“We don’t want the Institute to be the responsibility of the Ministry of Education,” emphasizes Carl Ouellet, president of the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles. That it’s not managed by the ministry, that it’s separate. […] We want it to be an independent entity. »
The Institute should also have the power to submit opinions on its own initiative, believes the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec.
Union demonstration
The Autonomous Federation of Education will organize a demonstration on Friday when it passes through the committee. “It’s a structural mix that does not meet the crying needs in schools,” says its president, Mélanie Hubert, whose union is negotiating to renew the teachers’ collective agreement. The minister is creating a diversion and not dealing with the real business. »
A vision to which the Confederation of National Trade Unions subscribes. “What is presented does not in any way solve the problems of the school system”, underlines the president, Caroline Senneville.