QUEBEC CITY The Jan. 8 announcement about a government-funded tutoring program for students having difficulty with their studies has still not become a reality on the ground, and time is running out, according to Parti Quebecois (PQ) education spokesperson Véronique Hivon. It s already very late and there are children for whom it will be insurmountable if we do not take action, she said. If we want all of this to make sense, and for it to unfold and make a difference before the end of the year, it is really urgent. Minister of Education Jean-Francois Roberge announced a series of measures to facilitate the return to school after the holiday break lengthened because of COVID-19 on Jan. 8.
MONTREAL The union representing Quebec s education professionals agrees with the province s plan to reopen schools starting Monday though it is calling for the government to reconsider its take on air purifiers in classrooms and consider its treatment of the province s educators. We salute Roberge s plan, said CSQ (Centrale des syndicats du Quebec) vice-president Anne Dionne in a Zoom news conference Sunday. Everybody s happy that students will be returning to class because it s a better environment to be in. However, not all teachers agree with that statement. Kevin Saunders, a teacher at St. Thomas High School who oversees a Facebook group with thousands of Quebec teachers as members, said many are on edge about returning.
Quebec reported Friday that 160,023 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in the province and 7,435 people have died due to the disease since the start of the pandemic.