Danielle McCann is “invisible”, criticize unions

The absence in the public square of the Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann, is more and more “problematic” and testifies to her lack of leadership, denounce the CEGEP unions affiliated with the Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ). ).

Marie-Eve Morasse
The Press

While classes in CEGEPs have started a few weeks ago, teachers, professionals and support staff from the college network affiliated with the CSQ deplore the fact that the minister did not participate in any press conference alongside the national director of health. public, for example. Their minister Danielle McCann is “invisible”, they say.

“There is a glaring absence of leadership in the ministry at the moment. We may ask questions, ask for documentation, we never have answers, ”observes Valérie Fontaine, president of the Federation of higher education support staff.

She compares the situation with that of primary and secondary schools, where instructions on management in the context of a pandemic are sent on a regular basis and set the tone for an entire network.

Conversely, in the absence of a global vision, each of the 48 public establishments in the college network manages the rules related to the pandemic according to what it understands, deplore the unions of the CSQ. These are all ways to manage the isolations related to the COVID-19 of students and staff.

For example, we also illustrate, when it was announced that school staff would be given priority for obtaining the third dose of vaccine against COVID-19 for the start of the winter school year, the message was not is not in the higher education network.

“In the terms used by the government, you never know if “education” covers from kindergarten to doctorate. When you call the Ministry for details [sur certaines mesures sanitaires]they don’t know it”, continues Valérie Fontaine.

A health situation “under control”, says McCann

In a press briefing on Monday to announce the launch of an Observatory on Success in Higher Education, Minister Danielle McCann estimated that the high rate of adherence to vaccination against COVID-19 among pupils and students at postsecondary levels contributed to the success of the autumn start.

Since the return in January, “the situation is under control” in CEGEPs and universities, said M^me McCann.

The pandemic situation is exceptional, and despite everything, “we act as if, at college, there was no problem”, adds Lucie Piché, president of the Federation of CEGEP teachers.

The same goes for student success, adds Ms.^me Piche. The Quebec action plan provides that within five years, 70% of students enrolled in CEGEP will obtain their diploma in two years. For the 2014 cohort, this rate was 64%.

It’s a laudable goal, says Lucie Piché, but she wonders what is being done “concretely” in CEGEPs to help students and teachers. “We feel that there is no coherent approach to support us towards success,” she laments.

Due to the pandemic, some young people have done their CEGEP almost entirely remotely, she recalls. In this context, the president of the union says that we must first think about maintaining the current graduation rates.

“What do we concretely do for success in our CEGEPs, in our classes? We feel that there is no coherent approach to support us towards success”, deplores M^me Piche.

Yes, she says, it’s important for students to be in school for mental health issues, but “we must not underestimate the fact that Omicron is in the workplace”.

CEGEPs do not have access to rapid tests, and contrary to what is prescribed for elementary and secondary teachers, college staff are not considered priority for access to PCR tests.