The National Federation of Teachers of Quebec (FNEEQ-CSN) deplores the improvisation shown by the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, since the start of the pandemic.
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“It is as if the minister is rediscovering that a pandemic has been sweeping over his ministry for almost two years. He is always late and surprised by the new waves, ”said FNEEQ-CSN vice-president Léandre Lapointe with irony in a press release, following the press briefing by the Minister of Education on Wednesday.
While the return to class is scheduled for January 17, the majority of schools in the province still do not have adequately filtered air and they still do not have CO2 readers. In addition, no N95 type mask has yet been distributed to teaching staff. “We are still talking about opening the windows in the middle of winter, as the main solution, two years later. The lack of planning is still obvious, ”added Mr. Lapointe, who believes that the teachers are once again on their own to prepare the courses that will be given at a distance between now and the return to face-to-face.
For its part, the Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ) has welcomed some of the measures announced by the Minister of Education, but deplores the delay in Quebec with regard to ventilation, self-tests, masks and the third dose. vaccine. “We would have liked certain measures to have been implemented long before the arrival of Omicron. We might not be where we are today! ”Declared the president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras.
Few resources
According to the FNEEQ-CSN, the government is counting on rapid tests to be carried out at home in order to prevent the spread of the virus in schools. However, the pharmacy distribution of these COVID-19 screening tests has experienced significant delays in recent weeks. In addition, the union denounces the still inexistent measures in terms of mental health among students and staff who are severely affected by the pandemic. “It is however the minister’s duty to protect all the people who circulate in our schools and to avoid acting as if Omicron is just a simple flu”, mentioned the vice-president of the FNEEQ- CSN.
Postponement of ministerial reviews: a good move
Despite its dissatisfaction in many respects, the FNEEQ-CSN congratulates Minister Roberge on having agreed to postpone the holding of the ministerial reviews which were to take place in January. “This postponement should ease the pressure on the highly weakened network,” read the press release.
The Quebec Federation of Teachers recalls that returning to face-to-face mode remains a priority in order to ensure better educational monitoring of students who have been suffering from the consequences of the pandemic for almost two years.