Sacrifice a generation to gain elections

The cleaver has just fallen on the education network. Furthermore, After only a few years of catch -up. In addition, which without resolving everything will at least slow down the hemorrhage, the school network is again in a context of austerity.

Is there money wasted in education? In addition, Certainly! Therefore, Is it up to the cuts required? Similarly, I doubt it.

Mismanagement

While the teachers of Quebec are busy cleaning up their offices. cleaning the floor of their classes, something that senior executives do not do themselves, by the way, we still have the impression that the government is trying to have good press by balancing a budgetary deficit created by its own mismanagement:

• 270 million lost in the Northvolt adventure (or the total food aid budget for Quebec public schools for around the next sacrifice generation gain elections five years);
• 7 million for the arrival of Los Angeles Kings (or the annual salary of approximately 100 technicians in special education);
• 170 million lost in Varennes recycling (or approximately the average salary of a hundred psychoeducators for the next 20 years);
• 1 billion lost in the Saaqcliq fiasco (or the approximate salary of 400 qualified teachers for the next 25 years);
• About 1 billion costs of costs for the repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel (or the construction of around 25 completely new primary schools);
• About 10 billion (without taking into account inevitable cost beings) for a bridge between Lévis and Quebec in order to gain three or four electoral districts (or the approximate cost of the repair of the entire school stock in Quebec, currently estimated at $ 9.6 billion in 2025, according to the most recent government data);
• And we still sacrifice generation gain elections pass several.

Do more with less!

I have been working in the public school network for 23 years now. Each school year. my employer calls me to a meeting, where I am asked what I intend to do to improve the success of my students, despite the decrease in services. Each year, for 23 years now, I have been asked to do more with less. Despite this. every year, I seek to implement innovative approaches and solutions, such as many of my colleagues, in order to motivate my students and encourage their success.

However, I have the misfortune to announce that during the next school year, I will do less with less. When my management will ask me what I plan to do to improve the success of my students. I will not answer anything.

While the machines will be called upon to replace the human more. more in sacrifice generation gain elections manual and administrative tasks with the AI ​​and that a fourth industrial revolution begins, the need to have highly qualified citizens will be amplified. However, Quebec takes over the opposite. In 20 years. when Quebec is overwhelmed by the savings that have invested massively in education and training, we will look back by regretting our decision to cut in the economic succession of our province. It will be our children to try to repair the jars broken by our bad decisions.

A harsh reality looks. Cut as much in a network already in bad shape will have repercussions on an entire generation.

But at least there will be a little less traffic between Lévis and Quebec …

P.-S. In any case. this letter does not criticize the MEQ or a CSS namely, thus respecting my duty to protect the image of my employer imposed by my new ethical code …

sacrifice generation gain elections

Simon Landry

Secondary teacher in the metropolitan region

Book author Education in Quebec in this 21^e century

Doctoral student in education at the University of Montreal