“Some students now arrive three or four weeks after the start of the school year, after having written to their teachers: “I have to rest a little before school because I worked all summer” or “I am accompanying my mother on journey”. »
The days of compulsory online courses may be behind us, but many CEGEP students persist in staying remotely, without their teachers being able to penalize chronic absentees, laments Yves de Repentigny, vice-president of the National Federation of Teachers and teachers of Quebec (FNEEQ).
“Many young people expect to receive tailor-made remedial materials or a private lesson. Studies are no longer the priority compared to work and social life, and this carelessness has increased with the pandemic. »
Literature professor Aïcha Van Dun observes the same phenomenon at the Cégep de Lanaudière, in L’Assomption. In total, 22 CEGEP students, divided into 3 groups, missed their first class this year. Before the pandemic, barely four or five would have risked it, she calculates.
“Some even ask us to move forward with our final evaluations to go on a trip! We are not very receptive…”
At the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu CEGEP, philosophy professor Éric Martin also sails from surprise to surprise.
I asked two boys why they disappeared after the break. They told me they were at the spa! Another announced to a colleague that he was going grocery shopping…
Éric Martin, professor of philosophy, at the CEGEP of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
“Previously, one would never have been able to declare such a thing shamelessly. Now, it is said lightly, without the slightest embarrassment towards the institution,” laments Mr. Martin.
At the Bois-de-Boulogne college in Montreal, students disappear especially in November, notes literature professor Nicolas Bourdon. “When fatigue sets in, they opt for à la carte learning. They skip their French class because they are not ready for their physics exam the next day. »
Some young people disappear several classes in a row, without warning, adds Yves de Repentigny. They sometimes have demanding jobs or have other priorities. “I call them ‘tourists,’” he said. In teamwork, they watch without participating. »
No more sanctions
At Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, in Longueuil, teachers can exclude chronic absentees from classes – and exams – for the rest of the session, reports Éric Martin, who taught there before the pandemic. “In my department, we took attendance, and students who exceeded the limit received a warning. In some cases, it woke them up; they came back so as not to fail and their grades increased. »
“We should reintroduce tighter attendance control. »
According to the FNEEQ, more and more teachers are seeing this possibility disappear – except when learning absolutely has to be done in a group, in an internship or in a laboratory.
Those from the Bois-de-Boulogne college are among them. As in other establishments, the institutional learning evaluation policy was modified a few years ago.
“The absenteeism rate has exploded since then! », Says literature professor Nicolas Bourdon.
The students who need to be present the most come half the time, completely lost and amorphous. And they often expect everyone to accommodate by filling them in on missed classes. However, class attendance is clearly correlated with success.
Nicolas Bourdon, professor of literature at the Bois-de-Boulogne college
At Rosemont College, last year, teachers strongly opposed the abandonment of sanctions.
“We have noted that some teachers stick to these rules and that they serve as support to manage complex situations,” wrote us the college’s communications manager, Marie-Ève Robitaille. Changing them would require “significant changes in their strategies and approaches.” The college will therefore take “the necessary time to explore the issue in depth” and “develop a common vision”.
He nevertheless wants “students to have fair treatment in all their courses”, specifies the spokesperson.
Currently, the management of absences differs from one CEGEP to another and from one department to another.
The carrot rather than the stick
The Fédération des cégeps has never carried out a survey to quantify the increase in absenteeism. “But I hear the same thing as you,” confirms its CEO, Bernard Tremblay. Young people have such busy lives and are so encouraged to consume that they do not have the same attitude towards being present in classes and on campus. This is worrying and deserves attention. »
“They also leave much more quickly after classes,” adds Mr. Tremblay. It becomes an issue, because it is not very motivating and affects academic perseverance. »
What does the Quebec College Student Federation think? “It’s important to return to campus in large numbers, but it’s better to use the carrot than the stick. Penalizing absences is not the solution,” responds its president, Laurence Mallette-Léonard.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COLLÉGIALE STUDENT FEDERATION OF QUÉBEC
The president of the Quebec College Student Federation, Laurence Mallette-Léonard
“Otherwise,” she predicts, “students who have less predictable schedules will just stop enrolling in CEGEP.” »
Some CEGEP students have children, she recalls. Others work 35 hours a week. “The labor shortage gives them the opportunity to pay their rent and their groceries. »
The Federation is therefore campaigning for an increase in financial aid and psychosocial support. “We must motivate the students,” argues M.me Mallette-Léonard, and restore the sense of community. »
Forbidden to prohibit
CEGEPs that renounce punishing absenteeism are trying – for many – to meet the requirements of the College Education Evaluation Commission. A public body, which evaluates their policies and practices. “Some establishments have had their fingers slapped,” reports Yves de Repentigny, vice-president of FNEEQ.
In 2021, the Commission revised the reference framework in which it sets out its expectations with regard to CEGEPs. She has since asked nine establishments to relax their way of managing absences, she confirmed to us by email. Around fifty others have also been questioned on this topic in the past. The 119 public and private establishments that it supervises see their practices scrutinized in turn, in a cyclical manner.
The Commission wants to ensure that CEGEP students are “evaluated fairly and equitably,” she specifies. “The rules concerning absences must not prevent the student from demonstrating his knowledge [en l’excluant des examens]. »
Three CEGEPs, three approaches
Bois-de-Boulogne College
“Mere attendance at the course or learning activities cannot constitute an object or criterion of evaluation. […] In courses where the assessment of learning is based on the observation of the teacher (internships, laboratory sessions, physical education classes, etc.) or on the student’s contribution to team work, Repeated absences can place the student in a situation of failure. »
Institutional policy for evaluating learning at the Bois-de-Boulogne college
Cégep Édouard-Montpetit
“The absence [au cours] may be subject to sanction. A department that wishes to implement exclusion arrangements in the event of repeated absences will submit them in advance to the Directorate of Studies and will ensure that these arrangements are included in the course plans. »
Institutional learning evaluation policy of Cégep Édouard-Montpetit (which refused to grant us an interview, but indicates that it is still in place)
Cégep Sorel-Tracy
“Following the student’s absence for more than 20% of his course, he may be excluded from it. [Cette mesure d’exception] can be justified, in this case, by the need to maintain this commitment at the highest possible level. Despite exclusion from the course, the student still has the right to take the final examination of the course. »
Institutional learning evaluation policy at CEGEP Sorel-Tracy
Learn more
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- 30 %
- Proportion of CEGEP students who work more than 15 hours per week
Source: Fédération des cégeps