Education Minister Bernard Drainville is scheduled to meet the media on Friday morning to provide an update on vacancies in schools as the new school year approaches.
Drainville has summoned the press to Montreal at 10:30 a.m. to make an “announcement concerning the start of the new school year.”
On his X account, the minister stated that “in particular, the positions to be filled will be discussed.”
For several days now, education network stakeholders have been complaining that they do not have access to the latest data on the number of positions still vacant in schools just a few days before the start of the new school year.
According to the Ministry of Education, the education system could have to get ready for up to 20,000 more students than last year in the coming school year, which would require 1,000 more teachers.
In addition, political parties and central labour bodies have said that Drainville should also use his news conference to take stock of other issues, including violence in schools and dilapidated buildings.
“The minister has a duty to ensure that all students, teachers and school support staff can learn, teach and work in safety. I call on him to unveil this Friday the measures he intends to adopt at the start of the new school year,” said PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé in a news release.
For its part, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) pointed out that despite the signing of new collective agreements with public sector workers, the education network is still grappling with numerous problems, including a shortage of staff “at all levels.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 16, 2024.