Quebec’s education minister has acknowledged there is a growing teacher shortage in the province, but now he admits the problem is particularly acute in the Montreal area.
Jean-François Roberge said on Wednesday there are recruitment issues all over Quebec and that the government is working hard to fill the gap.
“It will take a few years,” he said, referring to finding and hiring qualified teachers.
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As of Sept. 1, the province has been missing 360 teachers in its classrooms. Roberge confirmed that 84 per cent of vacant teaching positions are in Montreal and Laval.
The scarcity of teachers in Quebec is “quite serious,” and the numbers speak for themselves, according to Roberge.
“We are working to fix it,” said Roberge on social media on Wednesday.
In August, one of Quebec’s largest labour federations sounded the alarm over the shortage, saying the Legault government needs to immediately address the issue.
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The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which represents more than 200,000 members, claimed the province has failed to fix problems within its schools, including work conditions and a lack of support for staff.
Roberge has said the education ministry is considering offering new pathways to the teaching profession as a possible solution.
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— With files from The Canadian Press