Education has never been a priority
The reality is that all governments have failed education for over 25 years. It has never been a real priority, neither for the governments nor for the people of Quebec. Instead of giving ourselves a solid system, we preferred to believe that tax cuts were compatible with similar services. Results: the working conditions and salaries do not attract anyone, especially not teachers from other provinces!
Claude Dansereau
Centralizer
Bernard Drainville is not the one who will be able to straighten out the education network, unfortunately. Its desire to centralize, its inability to consult the teachers, bodes ill for the future. I think we’re going to see an even more massive exodus of teachers from the public.
Pierre Chatelain
Drainville is solid
I am very satisfied with the presence of Bernard Drainville in this file, which needs, just like health, to be “pimped”. He is solid and he has the ability to “stand up” in the face of “corporate” resistance. We certainly cannot give the guides to the unions or to a few union members, who only have what they have for granted, nor to the bureaucrats, nor to the “mad about religion”. We are looking for competence and good governance. I choose without hesitation this ministry led by Mr. Drainville.
Edith Henry
Make-up
No, I taught 35 years as a remedial teacher and the system has improved little. We remove, we put back, then we remove again and we replace. It has not changed from 1974 to 2023. Services for student assistance are still weak. As we don’t really know what to do, we make up. Currently, it’s very painful in the schools and I wouldn’t go back there, not even to help out!
Raymonde Fortin
No improvement
As a student of 1D secondary school, I find that Mr. Drainville is making several promises that could greatly help the education system in Quebec. However, I do not see any improvements since the beginning of my school career. It looks like he’s giving us lots of solutions to fix our miserable education system, but he’s not putting anything in place. Fortunately, my high school, Collège Durocher in Saint-Lambert, is able to stimulate students with a variety of extracurricular activities. The teachers are passionate and committed to the academic progress of each student. Teachers are able to build strong relationships with students and they are always there to help them. I find that the efforts of my school compensate for the inactivity of the government.
Thomas Montigny, 1D Secondary, Durocher College, Saint-Lambert
More or less satisfied
More or less satisfied with the network. Since the arrival of Mr. Drainville, there have been several “muted” cuts in the budgets, concerning sports studies in particular, and other student services. And its announced reform may further distance the commitment of parents and local decision-makers to make decisions together for the living environment of students.
Christian Ouellet, father of two daughters (4e year and 3e secondary)
An unfair network
Our children are now adults, but our dissatisfaction with the education network persists. We demand the end of the three-speed network, having both, my wife and I, taught in the public network. This unfair system should be “reviewed and corrected” in order to eliminate the injustices and to improve the chances of student success.
Robert Landry, Saint-Lazare
A famous movie
Poorly crafted proposal that brings us back to the era of Gaétan Barrette’s centralization of powers. We have already seen Quebec play in this film!
Michael Gagnon
Beautiful words
Fine words, but little action. Identified by numerous studies and experts, the excessive use of cell phones by children is detrimental to their development. The simple fact of not regulating or prohibiting cell phones in the classroom speaks volumes about the capacity and the will of this government to solve the ills of the education network.
Jean Paul Bertrand
Listen to reviews
Having been director general of school boards for 18 years from 1983 to 2001 in Saint-Jérôme and Montreal, I was an actor and spectator of multiple reforms: some well named, others less well. The latest is in the second category.
Do you believe that by increasing the powers of the minister, you are decentralizing the school network? Did you believe this government that said that by eliminating school boards, you were giving more power to parents? Do you believe that by doing so (the disappearance of a regional political power) you are decentralizing the school network? Listen to the criticisms of the parents who participated in the CAs of the school service centers and listen to what they think of the new pseudo-reform and you will have an answer to your questions.
Will the state of the school network and all the problems identified be better taken into account by this structural reform? No. Who can believe that the minister knows better than the people in the industry how to solve the problems encountered? The mobilization of stakeholders, an essential element in the dynamism of a milieu and of the network, cannot be imposed by the decision of a minister who believes he is in a better position to impose his decision uniformly on all of Québec.
A structural change has a significant impact on the network: it leads the players to reposition themselves in the face of the change and often occupies a significant space. What a waste of time and energy for a useless pseudo-reform!
Yves Archambault