Thousands of unqualified teachers

The presence of legally unqualified teachers in Quebec schools is highly underestimated, according to published data Newspaper. They are actually seven times more than the official figures.

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Over the years, a portrait of the number of legally unqualified teachers in the school network has been based on the number of “commitment tolerances” provided by the Ministry of Education to the school network.

This is a special accreditation granted to the School Service Center, which allows a contract to be awarded to a teacher who is legally incompetent in the event of a shortage. More than 4,300 teachers have been hired under a commitment tolerance, according to the latest figures.

However, this number should include about 26,000 teachers, as their work status is not required and there is no legal recognition to teach: they can replace one teacher for a fixed period of time. For example, from a few days to two months.

Geneviève Sirois and Valérie Harnois of TELUQ University found this out by analyzing the Ministry of Education’s statistics on the subject. “That’s a lot of people,” M says^Me Sirois is a professor of school administration. “These employees, who are not required to qualify under the Education Act, are the blind spot of the problem,” he adds.

The “dazzling” increase

This phenomenon is accelerating as the number of teachers who do not have a teaching certificate, license or accreditation (available on request) has doubled in just three years.

Valerie Hurnois, a graduate student in education, noted, “The number of qualified teachers in schools has not increased, but the use of these people has increased dramatically despite the shortage.

Alternative Skills Do Not Need a Diploma, while a high school diploma should at least provide a tolerance for engagement, M underscores^Me Hornoys.

According to Genevieve Chirois, the lack of data in this case is worrying. “How many of the 30,000 unqualified teachers have bachelor’s degrees in discipline? If we have data, it will guarantee. There, we know nothing, ”she says.

A more accurate portrait will allow them to better support. “That doesn’t mean these people are not good. But we think they have very specific training and professional integration needs. Often, they fall into the cracks. We need to take care of these teachers,” he said.^Me Cirrhosis.

“If we try to see the medal on the bright side, it is a solution to the shortage,” he adds. We have people who want to teach and people who want to do it. “

This is the case with Julie Stee, who is occasionally an alternative talent and begs for more recognition of her experience with young people in the academic community.

Teachers are not legally qualified in the Quebec school network

* Teachers who do not hold both patents, permits, licenses, accreditation or tolerance for engagement, as some positions do not require legal qualification
(E.g .: occasional replacement, hourly teacher and teacher by lesson).

** Legal teaching refers to various topics that are not accredited (e.g. from a country where qualification is not recognized in Quebec).

^{Source: Based on data provided by the Ministry of Education, the data were processed and analyzed by Valerie Hornois and Genevieve Chiroise, University Tolkien.}

An alternative teacher wants to be a teacher

Julie Stee has no teaching degree. However, he has been working on the school network for five years and wants his experience to be recognized.

After graduating from concert, Julie Stea founded her own music school about fifteen years ago. Growing up in a family of teachers, he decided to try his luck at the school system five years ago.

M^Me In addition to teaching music and drama to newcomers, Stea has been a supply teacher on many levels. Last year, he was hired because of engagement tolerance in a four-year-old kindergarten class, where French is not the mother tongue for almost all children.

“It went very well,” he says, especially thanks to the oversight provided by an academic advisor.

This year, Ms.^Me Stia was invited two days before the start of the school year to take charge of a new kindergarten board, while two weeks later a graduate in teaching filled the place. “It was a little frustrating. I wanted to stay in preschool, but not legally qualified, it was impossible,” he drops.

“Encouraging”

“It’s really depressing. We are not considered, we are not respected, it is very difficult to do so if we want to qualify legally,” he adds.

The short option that allows him to earn his teaching certificate is to complete a qualified master’s degree for those who already have a bachelor’s degree in a related field. This part-time training can theoretically be completed in four years.

But in reality, many take longer. “My brother, who has a master’s degree in biochemistry, took seven years to complete his teaching training. At 47 I don’t have that energy. This is not an option for me, ”says the single mother, who has two teenage children at home.

M^Me Stia regrets that there is only one path that leads to teaching certification. “It simply came to our notice then. We need to find another way to get quick access to the business. A qualified master’s degree is meaningless. “

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