Half of the students in some primary and secondary classes were absent on Monday for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan. These absences of children and staff members, especially in Montreal schools, are reigniting the debate on religious holidays in the education network.
Quebec schools are closed for certain traditional Christian holidays, such as Easter or Christmas, but remain open for major Jewish or Muslim celebrations. This “Catholic-secularism” gives headaches to school administrators.
Staff at the Center de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM, the largest in Quebec and one of the most religiously diverse) can request time off in advance for a range of Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox holidays. However, the school must find substitutes to make these religious accommodations. The shortage of personnel and isolation due to the pandemic complicate the task of managers.
“In general, under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, a request for leave for religious reasons may be granted to members of our staff, insofar as this absence is compatible with the proper functioning of the organization. . Thus, at all times, educational services and student safety must be ensured,” explains Alain Perron, spokesperson for the CSSDM.
The presence of students remains compulsory despite this religious holiday, but the service center estimates that between 10% and 15% of children were absent on Monday for Eid el-Fitr. It depends on the environment: in some primary and secondary classes, half of the students were absent, our sources indicate.
In one of the pavilions of the Marie-Rivier primary school, in the Saint-Michel district, where a large Muslim community lives, more than a third of the students were missing. In Marisa Thibault’s class, 8 of the 16 students were at home. “It worries me, because some children need extra effort to succeed,” she says.
She wonders if Quebec is not ripe for a debate on religious holidays. Including Christian holidays, which are more often than not traditions, according to her. In his pavilion, three teachers, educators in the daycare service and the school janitor also had time off for this important Muslim holiday. A teacher could not have leave, for lack of substitutes, but he will have priority for Eid el-Fitr next year.
A crucial party
“It’s difficult with the lack of substitutes. We have an opening speech with our teams, we know it’s an important party, but we must avoid the workload falling on the shoulders of other colleagues, who are already overloaded with the pandemic, ”explains Kathleen Legault. , President of the Montreal Association of School Principals (AMDES).
In the school network, doubts arise “about the relevance of that day when half the students are missing in some schools”, she adds. For its part, the Alliance of Teachers of Montreal adapts to this “Montreal reality”.
“It’s like Christmas for us,” said Hanane Alaoui, a Montrealer of Moroccan origin who kept her 9-year-old and 14-year-old children at home on Monday for Eid el-Fitr. She still sent the youngest half a day to class, to help him succeed.
“It’s very important for families to come together at home. We make traditional cakes, we give gifts, we wear new clothes,” says the mother. After 30 days of fasting between sunrise and sunset, this end of Ramadan feast is the perfect opportunity to celebrate with the extended family.
“Catholic-secularism”
Jean Bernatchez, professor specializing in school administration at the Université du Québec à Rimouski (Lévis campus), believes that the education network is still in the process of adapting to the growing — and relatively recent — diversity of society. Quebec.
“Our main holidays are associated with Catholic or Christian holidays. There is still a cross in front of schools in some areas. Some have spoken of Catholic secularism in the Quebec context. As if secularism was for others,” he explains.
He believes that the nagging debate on religious holidays must be settled in each school or in each school service center, “in the place closest to where the problem arises”. “I hardly see how it can be managed at the national level. It is up to each community to find solutions that correspond to local realities. »