Quebec’s teacher shortage has reached alarming levels, with 8,558 teaching positions needing to be filled as the new school year approaches. Education Minister Bernard Drainville confirmed this figure, which consists of 1,859 full-time teachers and 6,699 part-time teachers, during a recent announcement at the National Assembly.
This revelation comes shortly after a survey by the Fédération québécoise des directions d’établissement d’enseignement (FQDE) estimated a shortage of around 5,000 teachers. Drainville acknowledged the significant challenge posed by this labor shortage and admitted that there’s no immediate solution.
To address the crisis, the province will need to employ unqualified individuals to cover classrooms suffering from staff shortages. Drainville has promised at least one “adult” per classroom by next week, even if they lack a teaching degree.
However, this stopgap measure raises concerns about the quality of education Quebec students will receive when the new school year begins.
Premier François Legault made an urgent appeal to teachers willing to help, stating, “We need you.” He mentioned that the government has invested in education recently by hiring specialists for children with special needs and increasing teacher salaries. However, he admitted that more needs to be done.
On the issue of adding unqualified adults to classrooms, Legault suggested it could be helpful, but he also acknowledged that long-term solutions to the shortage would take years to fully materialize.
Education Minister Drainville hopes to bring retired teachers back into the workforce, but Éric Gingras, president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), representing over 87,000 teachers in the province, expressed skepticism. Gingras explained that many teachers retired due to poor working conditions and salary cuts, making it unlikely that they would return.
Gingras also argued that the ministry’s numbers didn’t account for support staff and professionals such as therapists, estimating that the education network’s shortage across Quebec would be closer to 12,000 positions when factoring in these roles.
He emphasized the need to retain existing teachers by addressing their workload and improving salaries. Gingras also stressed that attracting support staff and therapists is crucial, as these roles are interconnected with teachers’ work.