State of play

“It seems that we are currently at a tipping point,” the minister confirmed. “But for students, it is after the fact that we risk seeing the repercussions manifest themselves. From then on, we will have to repair the damage that the pandemic has created. We know that schools were not the drivers of contamination, and we kept them open more than many other countries, to limit the damage. But the measures, although they were effective, were not perfect. We are already seeing the learning delays, the gaps between students and the growing problem of anxiety among young people.”

Visibly concerned, Mr. Leblanc agreed, sharing what he himself is experiencing: “My eleven-year-old son tells me that he no longer wants to go to school in the morning. He wants to do something else, he’s thinking about stopping going to school. With distance learning, do you think that young people have lost the desire to learn, the very meaning of going to school?” asked the businessman, who himself did not finish CEGEP and who became a university graduate late in life.

"We were concerned about school dropouts," the minister replied. "But for the moment the figures have held up, compared to 2019. That said, it is not a question of patching a crack with a simple glue. There is a lot to do to promote education. The reconstruction process must be considered as a whole, over the long term."

In April 2021, the major meeting of experts was held to consider education beyond the pandemic. "The consultations highlighted the importance of maintaining the fun side of school, of continuing to invest in extracurricular activities, sports and culture in the broad sense." The ministry therefore unveiled last year a Recovery Plan for Educational Success with an envelope of $110 million for the transition.

A promising initiative for the business world

In the provincial premier's opening speech in October 2021, the Legault government mentioned that it was counting on the training and requalification of Quebecers. In a context of labour shortage, vocational training, "and its promotion", takes on its full meaning. Businesses need qualified people in all sectors of activity.

"We have just set up the "Employers' Charter for Academic Perseverance , with the initiative of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec, and developed by the Federation of CEGEPs, the Desjardins Movement, Métro, the Quebec Network for Educational Success and the Federation of School Service Centres. This will allow businesses, including SMEs, to have easy access to well-trained talent."

Furthermore, this generation that has become adept at distance learning is ready to work from home. “We invested $150 million to quadruple the number of computers, and distributed LTE keys to families that did not have Internet. We have made giant strides to digitize society.” The minister added that for remote regions, distance learning makes it possible to offer courses where there was not sufficient critical mass. “Indeed, we must not waste all the learning that this crisis will have also allowed,” Mr. Leblanc specified.