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Monique Henry has been teaching English in Quebec for nearly twenty years without formal certification. As an “unqualified” educator, she has faced challenges in developing her skills through hands-on experience rather than traditional training.
Henry began her teaching career in 2006, grappling with classroom management amidst unruly behavior from students. Lacking a degree in education meant she had not acquired the necessary techniques to handle such situations effectively.
“You kind of just do it on the fly and learn with time,” shared Henry, 46, who currently teaches English as a second language at a high school in St-Jérôme, Quebec, on a yearlong contract. “There’s no one to help you out… If you have a problem, you’re kind of on your own.”
Henry’s experience mirrors a growing trend in Quebec schools, where education experts have noted an increasing reliance on unqualified teachers amid a worsening shortage. This situation poses risks to educational quality and places additional strain on existing staff members.
Unqualified teachers come from diverse backgrounds; some hold degrees in non-education fields, while others may lack post-secondary education altogether. What unites them is their absence of official certification from the provincial government.
Historically, Quebec educators were required to complete a bachelor’s degree in education to obtain teaching licenses. However, in response to persistent labor shortages, the provincial government has relaxed these requirements. Consequently, unqualified teachers are often hired out of necessity, given the high demand for educational professionals.
According to the Quebec Education Department, as of December, there were 9,184 unqualified teachers in the province’s public schools, an increase from 8,871 in May 2024 and 6,654 in May 2023. Notably, this figure pertains only to those holding longer-term contracts and does not account for substitute teachers—a group that comprises a significant portion of unqualified educators.
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A report from Quebec’s auditor general in 2023 highlighted that over 30,000 unqualified individuals worked in the education network during the 2020-21 school year, primarily as substitutes, constituting more than a quarter of all teachers. Nicolas Prévost, president of the Quebec federation of school administrators, anticipates a further rise in unqualified educators in the coming years, attributing this trend to declining enrollment in university education programs and difficulties in replacing retiring teachers.
According to Geneviève Sirois, a professor of school management at Université TÉLUQ, the province is highly dependent on unqualified teachers, with their numbers doubling from about 15,000 in 2015 to the current levels seen today.
Although the professional experience of unqualified teachers can vary widely, Sirois warns that those lacking formal training can negatively impact student learning outcomes. “Just imagine a first grader who needs to learn how to read and write and ends up with a teacher with no knowledge of pedagogical principles. When it comes to students with difficulties, we can see the potential consequences right away,” she remarked.
In Montreal, Matthieu Théorêt, 47, a substitute teacher without formal qualifications, expresses the challenges of this role. He highlights the common scenario of being thrust into positions mid-year without preparation, relying heavily on colleagues for support. Unfortunately, as the workload increases, his fellow teachers often find themselves too mentally and physically drained to assist.
“They took lots of time from their work to help me and to help the other teachers that came before me and they were exhausted,” Théorêt noted, acknowledging his feelings of being a burden. This burden extends beyond teachers to secretarial and other support staff, increasingly strained under the demands of organizational tasks.
In light of the ongoing crisis, Sirois mentions that new university programs have been initiated to expedite the certification process for educators. Additionally, provisional teaching licenses are being granted to students currently enrolled in teacher training programs.
Yet, the incentive for unqualified teachers to pursue certification remains low. Valérie Harnois, a PhD candidate from Laval University, emphasizes that the high demand for teachers allows unqualified individuals to secure regular employment and earn salaries comparable to certified teachers.
The Quebec Education Department has noted its investment of millions of dollars aimed at recruiting and retaining educational personnel, with significant funding allocated to make part-time roles more appealing, retain retired teachers, and support current teaching staff.
Henry is on the verge of finally earning her teaching license, having briefly departed from education for a role as a 911 dispatcher. However, she was drawn back to teaching through an innovative remote-learning bachelor’s degree program offered by Université de Sherbrooke. “I always wanted to go into teaching,” she affirmed.
Source
globalnews.ca