The government proceeded to purchase $42 million in videoconferencing devices without adequate analysis during the pandemic, notes the auditor general. These devices remained “little or not used”.
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However, any purchase must be preceded by an assessment of needs, in order to ensure the usefulness of a good or service, specifies Guylaine Leclerc in the Report of the Auditor General of Quebec to the National Assembly for the year 2022-2023.
However, the Ministry of Education (MEQ) “was unable to provide us with either the analysis or the recommendation justifying the announcement of this investment during the government’s economic update in November 2020” , grade Mme Leclerc.
The MEQ also did not consult the school service centers about their needs, as it was in a hurry to complete this purchase before the end of the fiscal year.
It was therefore only after the purchase of this equipment that a working committee was formed in December 2020 to establish the technical specifications and participate in the management of the call for tenders.
Unused appliances
The devices purchased by the Ministry of Education were to allow “comodal” teaching for secondary school students, that is to say that students in the classroom and at a distance could have taken the same course simultaneously.
However, few of these technological tools have been used “for ethical reasons”, explains the auditor general.
“Anyone outside the classroom, such as the students’ parents or their family members, could have access to personal information to be protected, such as learning difficulties or images of the students’ living environment,” writes- her in her 208-page report.
Labor relations issues have also been raised by the unions since the Education Act only allows distance education in the context of pilot projects and nothing in this regard is provided for in the collective agreements.