Labor shortage: Schools are looking for nearly 900 teachers

Just days before the start of the school year, the shortage of teachers has reached new heights Newspaper.

According to the results of an internal study conducted by two school governing bodies, 889 jobs are to be filled in about 500 public schools in the province. These are regular positions and part-time replacement contracts.

However, this figure represents only a fraction of the needs of the school network, which includes a total of 2,300 elementary and high schools in the public network. There is no school located on the island of Montreal in this area report.

The shortage is even greater for support staff: more than 1,200 jobs have to be filled in about 500 schools, especially day care teachers and special education teachers.

“It’s not progressing, unfortunately, it’s getting worse,” says Nicolas Provost, president of the Quebec Association of Directors of Educational Institutions.

“It’s very widespread and it’s midnight. We expect there to be more unfilled vacancies at the beginning of the school year than last year,” said Carl Oulet, president of the association.

The students lost support

One explains that even if vacancies are filled in the next few days, school students must “choose” to ensure that each student has a teacher at the beginning of the school year.

Special teachers must accept responsibility for classes that lose students in the difficulty of additional support.

The guidance program launched in the spring is also at risk of being affected.

“You have to say it because parents need to understand. We would prioritize having a teacher in the front class for any kind of support,” Nicholas Provost emphasizes.

The shortage is so worrying that it is necessary to put a brake on the development of new 4-year-old kindergarten classes for the next 2 years, he adds. “We have tough decisions to make to make sure we have enough teachers. You have to ask yourself these questions,” he says.

Ask students to help

For his part, Carl Oulett calls for more deals with universities and CEGEPs so that students can come to lend a hand to the school network. “We’re looking at whether seniors in secondary 4 or 5 can lend a hand,” he said. Everything is really on the table because we are short. “

In the Montreal area, no data on the matter were available yesterday from directors of the Montreal Association of Schools.

The fall in immigration last year, due to the epidemic, will lead to a decrease in the number of franchise classes, thus freeing up teachers for other students, one explains.

Boundary of human resources

A few days before the start of the school year, about 500 schools in Quebec will have to fill jobs *

• teachers: 889
• Support staff: 1206
• Professionals: 265
• School Principals: 67

^{* There are about 2,300 public schools in the school network. This area report does not take into account schools located on the island of Montreal.}

^{Sources: A compilation of two internal studies conducted by the Association of Cubicois du Employees d Directions and The Federation Cubicois des Appliances d’Adutes.}

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