A week into back-to-school: 1,331 vacant teaching positions in Quebec
Posted September 5, 2023 5:56 pm.
Last Updated September 5, 2023 5:59 pm.
Quebec’s education minister says there are at least 1,331 teaching positions still to be filled in the public network – down from 1,829 a week earlier.
Bernard Drainville released the latest data Tuesday evening showing Quebec still needed to fill 217 regular full-time positions and 1,114 part-time positions.
The figures were provided by 71 school service centres and school boards. Only one school service centre or school board in Quebec did not share data with the minister.
“I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the staff of the 72 school service centres and school boards, as well as to all the school teams who worked so hard last week to get students back to school,” said Drainville in a news release.
“Your efforts have enabled us to significantly reduce the number of vacancies. We continue to work on finding solutions to this shortage.”
WATCH: Back-to-school for English Montreal School Board amid teacher shortage
Many students in Quebec returned to class last week.
A vacancy does not mean a classroom is without a teacher, the province says. In some cases substitute teachers are in place until the position is filled.
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There was some confusion initially regarding the vacancies. On Aug. 23, Drainville said the province needed to fill 8,558 teaching positions. That announcement sparked some level of panic across the province.
That figure dropped to 1,829 just a few days later.
Schools have said the issues go beyond vacant teaching roles, lamenting a lack of support staff as well.
