Bernard Drainville believes that the directive sent by the Ministry of Education in view of the solar eclipse “should have specified that supervised and safe outdoor activities are encouraged”.
As reported The Press On Monday, schools decided to cancel their eclipse observation activities because they consider that Quebec’s directives are too restrictive.
“I invite schools that had planned activities for April 8 to maintain them,” wrote Minister Drainville on the social network X.
In an email sent to the school network at the end of February, Quebec encouraged schools to carry out observation activities, but also asked to “avoid holding outside activities during the period during which the event will take place, i.e. from 2:11 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Monday morning, the Ministry of Education rectified the situation.
“The ministry would like to point out that the holding of activities, both exterior and interior, of a scientific nature during the period during which the event will take place is highly encouraged, if all conditions are put in place to ensure the safety of the students,” writes Stéphanie Vachon, assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Education.
In an open letter published Monday in The Montreal Journalastronomer Pierre Chastenay and the general director of the Association for the Teaching of Science and Technology in Quebec, Camille Turcotte, denounced the government’s “excessive caution” in the face of the eclipse.
“The government’s late and alarmist communication had direct repercussions on the educational initiatives prepared with enthusiasm by education stakeholders,” they write.
Several school service centers, notably those in Montreal, have decreed that April 8 will be an educational day. Daycare services will be open and activities vary depending on the school. Some decided that students would watch a movie in the gymnasium for the expected duration of the eclipse.