Parents and experts are concerned about the effect of the strike on the academic success of children – particularly the most vulnerable – and the inequalities which risk widening if the conflict continues in certain regions.
“The duration of this strike can have consequences on the educational success of our children, so we really hope that it will be resolved sooner rather than later,” says Nathalie Laviolette, president of the Federation of Committees of parents from Quebec. She recalls that several students are still behind educationally due to the pandemic, which forced the closure of schools for months. “We see a certain delay in terms of literacy among children which has not yet been caught up. And this gap risks widening even more,” she says.
The spokesperson for the Regroupement des committees de parents nationaux du Québec, Sylvain Martel, agrees. He also speaks of an “accumulation of impacts” for students who are already experiencing difficulties. “There are students who will have an impact [aujourd’hui] and, the more we move forward, the more the pool of affected students will grow. »
Three speeds
A form of inequality is also emerging on the horizon between students who attend a school whose teachers are represented by the Common Front — on strike for three days — and those whose school environment is more associated with the Autonomous Federation of education (FAE), which voted for the unlimited general strike.
“With the unlimited general strike, it will also create a gap between two types of students who attend similar establishments,” indicates Nathalie Laviolette. For us, this is a concern, because the gap is always going to widen more and more. And every day we lose is a day that will be more difficult for our children to make up for. »
The strike risks further exacerbating the disparity between students who attend private schools, who do not experience a strike, and those who go to public schools, also recognizes the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert. “That doesn’t help.” The pandemic was the same thing. Every time the private network runs at full speed while the public network experiences all kinds of difficulties, it never helps. And that constantly brings back to the table this question, of the three-tier school, and the fact that the situation is not to the advantage of the public network at the moment,” she said in an interview with Duty earlier this week.
She also notes that “it is the students most in difficulty who will suffer first from the cessation of services”, but she repeats that teachers do not do this “with cheerfulness” and that the improvement of their conditions of work will be beneficial for the students. “What we say to ourselves is that our students have also suffered from poor network conditions for a very long time. »
What effect on children?
Few researchers have looked into the consequences on children of a work conflict in the education sector, regretfully notes sociologist Michel Perron, founder of the Regional Council for the Prevention of School Dropouts. He therefore refers to two Ontario studies published around ten years ago which demonstrated that such strikes had “fairly significant effects” on students, particularly those at the end of primary school. And their effects were “more damaging among children from disadvantaged backgrounds,” reports Mr. Perron.
An observation also made by Dr Gilles Julien, social pediatrician who works with young people and their families in the Montreal district of Hochelaga. “It worries me a lot. It’s clear that in more disadvantaged areas, the impacts are always greater,” he says.
For several years, he has been at the forefront of seeing the harmful effects of the movement of school staff on students, who can have “up to 10 different teachers” per year. “A child’s ability to adapt, in circumstances like that, is limited. And the tendency is that they will drop out, will no longer want to go to school. [Ils] will develop behavioral problems of different natures, both violent and depressive behaviors. »
According to the Dr Julien, the possibility of a dragging out strike “adds a layer of insecurity”. That being said, he understands and supports the demands of teachers and school staff. “We also support them, but at the same time, we live with the children who suffer the consequences. »
He recalls that for many children, “the school environment is a very safe environment” because at home, “they are exposed to toxic stress” and live in inadequate housing. “We feel safe at school, but this security has been fragile for a long time. But there, with the pandemic, we blocked everything. And now, the strike. Most did not have time to recover, except for well-supported children, those who went to private schools, who had involved parents who did homeschooling. All of that is perfect, it’s just that our vulnerable populations don’t have access to that. »
But, whatever the environment, parents are worried, notes Nathalie Laviolette. “I have the impression that if it lasts too long, there will be a certain distress that will set in among parents, about how to keep our child motivated and reassure them properly. But since we don’t have a deadline, it’s difficult to encourage our child by saying: “Don’t give up, it won’t last too long.” We have no idea at the moment. »