4,000+ teaching positions to be filled as Quebec prepares for back-to-school

With two weeks to go before the start of the school year, more than 4,100 teaching positions remain unfilled in Quebec schools, although approximately 96 per cent of all positions have been filled.

According to official figures from the Ministry of Education on Monday, 4,115 positions were still vacant, representing 4.4 per cent of the 92,820 teaching positions in the school system.

The current situation represents an improvement over the last two years, said Education Minister Bernard Drainville at a press conference at the National Assembly on Thursday.

“Two years ago, there were 8,500 positions left to fill. Last year, it was 6,000. Now, it’s 4,000. Two years ago, 90 per cent of positions were filled, last year it was 94 per cent, and today, 96 per cent of positions are filled,” said Drainville.

According to him, this progress reflects the government’s achievement with the unions to ensure that most teachers are assigned by Aug. 8 of each year at the latest.

“The goal (…) was precisely to improve the situation year after year, to start recruiting earlier and then assign teachers to their classes, and it’s working,” said the CAQ representative, while acknowledging that the situation remains imperfect.

The figures from Monday were published on Thursday on the ministry’s website, shortly after the minister’s press conference.

He also indicated that, among the teachers hired, 10 per cent did not have a teaching certificate, but that at least half of them had a bachelor’s degree in one of the subjects taught at the school, such as French, English, history, or chemistry. He did not specify the situation for the other half of those without a teaching certificate.

“What we want is to help them obtain their teaching certificate. That’s why we asked universities to create short, 30-credit programs to enable teachers to obtain their teaching certification,” explained Drainville.

With regard to support staff, such as special education technicians, and professionals, such as speech therapists and remedial teachers, the number of vacant positions remains unknown at this time.

Drainville assured that recruitment is continuing and that the figures will be released at the end of August.

In addition, the minister expects a larger number of students at the start of the school year in September, pointing in particular to the increase in asylum applications at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing. However, he was unable to comment on the extent of this future increase.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews