Education students from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) who went on strike are furious with the establishment, which leaves the possibility of having their internship fail at the end of the fall semester.
“We are clearly trying to punish the students who took part in the internship strike in recent weeks,” said Anne-Sophie Bendwell, member of the Association of Students of the Faculty of Education (ADEESE).
From mid-October to mid-November, thousands of aspiring teachers were on strike to demand better internship conditions, demanding in particular compensation and better protection against harassment during their practical training.
On November 16, the students decided to put an end to the conflict, admitting “significant progress” on the part of UQAM.
The Faculty of Education at UQAM has made a commitment to create “a new position in the Harassment Intervention and Prevention Office, exclusively dedicated to responding to situations of harassment during internships. »
Possible abandonment
But the measures to return to class, decided on Friday by the Board of Directors of UQAM, came to ignite the powder with future teachers.
“If days of your practical training have been missed, they must be taken up again within the fall 2022 term. If it is not possible to take up these days […]the mention X (Abandonment) will be added to your file”, can we read in an email sent by UQAM to teaching students on Monday.
“We had finally obtained gains and we were ready to be satisfied with them, explains Anne-Sophie Bendwell. But now, we are threatened with abandonment, it’s a slap in the face. »
According to ADEESE, 750 students will be penalized. She qualifies these measures as “never seen following student strikes at UQAM”.
Contacted, the University assures that “less than 50 students will be affected by the abandonment measure”.
“The vast majority of internships continued in a compliant manner this fall,” assures Caroline Tessier, director of UQAM’s communications department.
A lost year
Nathan Lepage, a student in the second year of a bachelor’s degree in secondary education, is one of the students impacted.
Yuri Nabbad
Nathan Lepage, a teaching student, will have an abandonment note affixed to his file after taking part in the internship strike over the past few weeks.
“Since I went on strike, it will be impossible for me to finish my internship before the end of the fall semester, as required by UQAM, underlines the student. I would therefore have an abandonment mention for this semester. This will involve repaying tuition fees and having to extend my university course by one year. »
Chantal Poirier / JdeM
Aurélie Lauzon (left) and Aurégan Damourette (right), teaching students at UQAM, oppose a decision by the university to sanction strikers with possible abandonment in their fall semester.
“Can we afford to delay the entry into the market of future teachers, when we are sorely short of them? ironically Aurégane Damourette, student in school adaptation. The University must reconsider this decision and the students have accommodations to continue their internships during the next semester. »
A general meeting of ADEESE is scheduled for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., where the possibility of a new “general strike that lasts over time” will be discussed according to its representatives.