Once upon a time in Quebec, women who offered their lives to the Lord to become sisters responsible for teaching or caring. Hospitals, convents, schools functioned for decades thanks to their work.
One day the Quiet Revolution arrived. This deconfessionalization of hospitals and schools was not trivial. But as it was inscribed in the collective unconscious, for years, we continued to treat these women who worked for the common good of children and the sick as missionaries, ignoring their grievances.
That’s enough
In recent years, many nurses have said, “enough is enough,” and left to work for private agencies. Several teachers left the schools, but their fed up culminated in this historic strike.
They took their courage in both hands, accepted the immense sacrifice of depriving themselves of 4 weeks of salary to say: “that’s enough”.
To take the gamble of convincing the government and the population that public schools are in tatters due to: 1) a lack of staff due to poor working conditions; 2) a three-tier school system, which leaves the heaviest cases to the traditional public school, with class compositions that make teaching difficult.
- Listen to Elsie Lefebvre’s column via QUB :
They deserve 24%
It appears that female professors will receive raises of up to 24%. They deserve it. Why, you tell me?
Because their job is difficult. Because the education of our children is fundamental.
2024 marks a turning point
Everything is not settled, teachers will continue to hold public schools at arm’s length, but their heartfelt cry has been heard through greatly improved working conditions. There is hope for a better network.
There remains the elephant in the room, the three-speed school. In the meantime, let us hope that the attractive salaries and this beginning of recognition of the composition of the class (through class aid, bonuses and others) will make it possible to attract strong forces into the education sector to provide reinforcement. to these teachers who love their work and who still believe in the common good and in public schools.