Quebec Faces Teacher Shortage Amid Rise In Student Enrollment
Photo Credit: Taylor Flowe via City News Montreal
Quebec’s education system is struggling with a severe teacher shortage, with over 20,000 more students enrolled this school year, compared to the number of students at the start of class last school year. In August 2024, with less than two weeks before the school year started, there were still 5,700 teaching positions yet to be filled in the province's schools. However, this rate was still higher than previous years.
Out of the 5,704 positions to fill, there are 1,406 vacancies for permanent full-time positions, and the rest are for contract jobs. In December 2024, the Quebec’s education ministry reported that 9,184 public school teachers were working without proper qualifications. However, that number only accounts for teachers on longer-term contracts. Substitute teachers are not included in the statistic, even though they make up the majority of unqualified teachers.
Quebec is planning to increase the number of non-legally qualified teachers in schools by over 50 per cent within the next three years, according to Le Journal.
In order to address the province’s teacher shortage, a shorter training program has been designed. The Ministry of Education provided guidelines to manage the development of training programs for a 30-credit course that provides graduates a teaching certificate. Candidates must have at least one year of applicable classroom experience. After completing this, graduates must complete a probationary internship and pass a French exam before receiving their teaching certificate. The program takes approximately one year to complete.
However, students and other teachers are being affected by the shorter training programs. For students, the increase in non-qualified teachers may lead to inconsistent instruction, especially for those with special needs. Montreal high school teacher Robert Green expressed concerns to CityNews, saying that teachers lacking proper training may struggle to adapt lessons effectively for these students. Teachers, particularly those already trained, are worried about the lack of preparation for graduates of the shortened programs.
When teachers are not prepared to meet the needs of students, incidents can occur. Lori Newton, president of the Montreal Teachers Association, told Canadian Affairs that some teachers had been physically attacked by special-needs students who were lacking support. “It used to be we were talking about high school teachers breaking up a fight after school or in the cafeteria,” Newton said. “Now we're talking [about] four-year-olds and five-year-olds who, for all kinds of reasons, are not [having their needs] met effectively at school.”