The minister Proulx launches his book

Photo Simon Clark
The minister of Education, Sébastien Proulx, in the company of the prime minister Philippe Couillard

Patrick Bellerose

Tuesday, 27-feb-2018 20:37

UPDATE
Tuesday, 27-feb-2018 20:40

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The minister Sébastien Proulx was officially launched on Tuesday evening a book where he presents his vision of the future of education.

Photo Simon Clark

The minister of Education claims to have written a line, during the Holidays, this book entitled un Québec libre is a Quebec who knows how to read and write.

“What I wanted to do so, in writing this book, this is not to throw a stone in the water to make noise, it is [rather] to put a stone in the extraordinary building that is the education system,” said Sébastien Proulx during a speech before a large crowd at the bookstore Freedom, in Sainte-Foy.

Photo Simon Clark

College of teachers

In his book, the minister Proulx discusses in particular the idea of creating a professional order of teachers. The professional orders are intended to establish standards of practice in order to protect the population.

“It brings a guidance, but it is also supported by professionals of their profession,” stresses Sébastien Proulx.

Photo Simon Clark

The suggestion of the minister, has, however, been received very negatively by the teachers unions. “We want to talk about solutions to pay for the elections, but we don’t really want to talk about education in Quebec,” said the president of the Federation of trade unions de l’enseignement (FSE-CSQ), Josée Scalabrini.

It is estimated that the upheavals in the education system during the last twenty years have created an environment “very difficult” for the teachers. “They wear only the education, at arm’s length,” she said.

Photo Simon Clark

“Not surprised”

Josée Scalabrini adds that the creation of a professional order would lead to a “bureaucracy” that would be paid by the teachers.

For its part, the autonomous Federation of education issued a press release scathing where she says that “the teachers that she represents will not have the time to read his book.” “The conditions under which the minister Proulx makes them work don’t help,” she wrote.

Sébastien Proulx says he is “not surprised” by the reaction of the trade unions of education. “At the same time, it is written in the book that it is part of the proposals put on the table in the context of a conversation”, he says, adding that it is necessary”, of course, talk about the conditions” of teachers ‘ work.

Photo Simon Clark

“But I think it also passes through a reflection with respect to the order because there is a challenge at the level of professional supervision and this will be on the table,” he said.