More than 2,200 unqualified teachers work in the Quebec school network
The shortage of teachers forced Quebec to turn to other people to give the lessons.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Photo: Radio-Canada
The number of unqualified teachers continues to increase in Quebec schools. The shortage of teachers pushes school principals to hire staff who are not legally qualified. They are thus more than 2000 in the classes of Quebec to teach the children.
Their number has more than doubled in the past five years.
Since the start of the school year, Valérie Vallée has been nervous every time she enters the classroom of her elementary school. In her room, where about twenty students are crowded, she has been learning to familiarize herself with
the teaching profession since September, in addition to giving her lessons.
Valérie is not a teacher like the others. Although she does not have a bachelor's degree in teaching
or a certificate, the school hired her as a teacher.
With degrees in criminology and psychology, she says it is not always easy to learn the trade on a daily basis in a classroom.
You learn on the job by working with students, but also by working with colleagues. There are a lot of technical
aspects in the school. Perhaps that is what is insecure.
Despite everything, she feels she has the skills to teach .
Their number has more than doubled in the past five years.
Since the start of the school year, Valérie Vallée has been nervous every time she enters the classroom of her elementary school. In her room, where about twenty students are crowded, she has been learning to familiarize herself with
the teaching profession since September, in addition to giving her lessons.
Valérie is not a teacher like the others. Although she does not have a bachelor's degree in teaching
or a certificate, the school hired her as a teacher.
With degrees in criminology and psychology, she says it is not always easy to learn the trade on a daily basis in a classroom.
You learn on the job by working with students, but also by working with colleagues. There are a lot of technical
aspects in the school. Perhaps that is what is insecure.
Despite everything, she feels she has the skills to teach .
Valérie Vallée Photo : Radio-Canada
Valérie Vallée is not the only one in this situation within her school. At Paul-Jarry School,
3 of the 18 teachers do not have the skills required to teach.
The principal of the school, Marie-Claude Allard, says she has no choice but to hire these
people because there is a lack of teachers in the classes.
We are currently in a shortage of teachers, so we need to have people in the classes to take care of our children.
She says hiring these people allows for greater stability in the classroom, as without them, schools might have to hire different substitutes to teach during the school year on a daily basis.
There would be daily changes with the children [...]; by having these people who are not legally qualified, we have a stable person.
3 of the 18 teachers do not have the skills required to teach.
The principal of the school, Marie-Claude Allard, says she has no choice but to hire these
people because there is a lack of teachers in the classes.
We are currently in a shortage of teachers, so we need to have people in the classes to take care of our children.
She says hiring these people allows for greater stability in the classroom, as without them, schools might have to hire different substitutes to teach during the school year on a daily basis.
There would be daily changes with the children [...]; by having these people who are not legally qualified, we have a stable person.
One year validityThe shortage of teachers is such in Quebec that the Ministry of Education allows school service centers to hire teachers who do not have the baccalaureate in teaching and the certificate.
They are then granted a commitment tolerance which is valid for one year.
With the pandemic, the shortage has increased and the lack of qualified staff is even greater in schools. According to data from the Ministry of Education, there are currently 2,210 unqualified teachers in the school system who have a tolerance of engagement,
a 25% increase over last year.
In fact, this upward trend has been observable for five years. In 2015-2016, they were 896. It is therefore an increase of 146% since that time.
They are then granted a commitment tolerance which is valid for one year.
With the pandemic, the shortage has increased and the lack of qualified staff is even greater in schools. According to data from the Ministry of Education, there are currently 2,210 unqualified teachers in the school system who have a tolerance of engagement,
a 25% increase over last year.
In fact, this upward trend has been observable for five years. In 2015-2016, they were 896. It is therefore an increase of 146% since that time.
At Georges-Vanier high school in Laval, ten teachers out of the 90 in the establishment are not legally qualified.
The principal of the school, Jean Godin, denies hiring any candidate to fill the teaching posts.
The principal of the school, Jean Godin, denies hiring any candidate to fill the teaching posts.
Jean Godin, directeur de l'École secondaire Georges-Vanier, à Laval
Photo : Radio-Canada
Photo : Radio-Canada
These are not people that we caught on the side of the street and to whom we said: "Come and teach, because there is no one else". We select the people for whom there is the greatest potential for integration in the medium and long term.
People who have skills that can be transferred to teaching , he explains.
I think it's important to dispel this myth, which is that those who are not legally qualified are all incompetent
and that we have no choice but to take them.
People who have skills that can be transferred to teaching , he explains.
I think it's important to dispel this myth, which is that those who are not legally qualified are all incompetent
and that we have no choice but to take them.
Over 50% in Montreal
Alexandre Raymond-Desjardins, who has a master's degree in history, admits that some days are more difficult than others in class. When it comes to the teaching aids that I don't have in my possession as an unqualified teacher, I have to rely a lot on my qualified colleagues , he says.
But Mr. Raymond-Desjardins is confident. I will manage to do it well, then minimize the impact
on the students of not having a legally qualified teacher , he assures.
In the schools of the greater Montreal area, one counts half of all unqualified teachers with tolerance of engagement of Quebec. The school service centers where we find the greatest number of teachers with a tolerance of commitment.
Alexandre Raymond-Desjardins, who has a master's degree in history, admits that some days are more difficult than others in class. When it comes to the teaching aids that I don't have in my possession as an unqualified teacher, I have to rely a lot on my qualified colleagues , he says.
But Mr. Raymond-Desjardins is confident. I will manage to do it well, then minimize the impact
on the students of not having a legally qualified teacher , he assures.
In the schools of the greater Montreal area, one counts half of all unqualified teachers with tolerance of engagement of Quebec. The school service centers where we find the greatest number of teachers with a tolerance of commitment.
Worrying
The needs are so great that the universities can no longer meet the demand. The dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal, Pascale Lefrançois, is concerned that there are so many unqualified teachers.
They certainly lack a little training, so it is certain that this remains a concern for the quality of the education that is provided. It's not for nothing that we have a teaching certificate to be able to teach , she says.
You can't pretend [these people] are perfectly qualified. It still takes a proper training to become a teacher. [...] I share the concern that they will have to be qualified one day, and unfortunately we have not yet invented a machine capable of converting someone into a qualified teacher or into a competent teacher in the space of three weeks. , explains Ms. Lefrançois.
According to her, among the unqualified teachers, there are several teaching students who have not
completed their training and people trained abroad.
Universities, including the University of Montreal, offer training tailored to these people,
while school service centers support them on a daily basis.
The needs are so great that the universities can no longer meet the demand. The dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal, Pascale Lefrançois, is concerned that there are so many unqualified teachers.
They certainly lack a little training, so it is certain that this remains a concern for the quality of the education that is provided. It's not for nothing that we have a teaching certificate to be able to teach , she says.
You can't pretend [these people] are perfectly qualified. It still takes a proper training to become a teacher. [...] I share the concern that they will have to be qualified one day, and unfortunately we have not yet invented a machine capable of converting someone into a qualified teacher or into a competent teacher in the space of three weeks. , explains Ms. Lefrançois.
According to her, among the unqualified teachers, there are several teaching students who have not
completed their training and people trained abroad.
Universities, including the University of Montreal, offer training tailored to these people,
while school service centers support them on a daily basis.
Marike Zavallone fait partie d'une équipe qui accompagne les enseignants non légalement qualifiés.
Photo : Radio-Canada
Photo : Radio-Canada
Help and support
At the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Services Center, a team of teachers go from school to school to help and support unqualified teachers, according to Marike Zavallone, who is responsible for this team.
The School Service Center has created a whole team of expert teachers who support these people on a daily basis, so at any time, they can call their mentor for help, either to organize the class or set up class rules.
She says that educational advisers also help these teachers.
For parents, these are words that worry to hear say "non-legally qualified staff", it can lead us to believe that they are not good staff.
At the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Services Center, a team of teachers go from school to school to help and support unqualified teachers, according to Marike Zavallone, who is responsible for this team.
The School Service Center has created a whole team of expert teachers who support these people on a daily basis, so at any time, they can call their mentor for help, either to organize the class or set up class rules.
She says that educational advisers also help these teachers.
For parents, these are words that worry to hear say "non-legally qualified staff", it can lead us to believe that they are not good staff.
In the schools of the Montreal School Service Center, unqualified teachers are also supervised by school teams,
which reassures the president of the parents' committee, Marc-Étienne Deslauriers.
There is a framework that is provided, the people who work are part of a school team. There are school principals who supervise the staff. It is really worrying to see how the situation is seriously worsened by the current context of pandemic , he explains.
The Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Services Center offers distance training in collaboration with TELUQ to unqualified people. They can take evening and weekend classes. This is what Valérie Vallée decided to do to become a real teacher.
which reassures the president of the parents' committee, Marc-Étienne Deslauriers.
There is a framework that is provided, the people who work are part of a school team. There are school principals who supervise the staff. It is really worrying to see how the situation is seriously worsened by the current context of pandemic , he explains.
The Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Services Center offers distance training in collaboration with TELUQ to unqualified people. They can take evening and weekend classes. This is what Valérie Vallée decided to do to become a real teacher.
Jean-Philippe Robillard
Radio-Canada
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Radio-Canada
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