Nearly three in five Quebecers say education system has declined over past 15 years

A new survey of Quebecers shows growing concerns about the province's education system as students prepare to return to school. According to a La Presse poll conducted August 6–10, nearly three in five respondents believe the quality of education has declined over the past 15 years, while just seven per cent think it has improved.

The survey also asked parents about the volume of school communications. Montreal parent Miguel Tremblay documented his experience last school year: he received 456 emails from his children's school, equivalent to about 14 hours of reading and roughly 166,000 words. Nearly three in five of those emails required some kind of action from parents, many without clear direction in the subject line. "My two daughters are going at the same school. Sometimes I receive two emails with the same content. So receiving one would do the work," Tremblay said.

Teacher shortages and high turnover emerged as the education system's biggest challenges according to respondents. Nearly half gave Quebec's elementary and secondary education system a C grade, while one in five gave it a D or E.

Montreal high school teacher Marion Miller says staffing shortages stretch remaining staff thin. "When there's a shortage in the school of teachers or techs or special educators, it stretches everyone else really thin. So then you're more likely to have other people burn out," she said. Miller notes students suffer too, missing consistent staffing and support.

As HighOnCity reported August 17, Quebec teachers and support staff have been demanding focus on education funding in the election campaign. Nearly one in five teachers are considering leaving the profession due to workload, according to reporting from August 19.

Despite these concerns, education ranked ninth among Quebecers' priorities ahead of the October election, behind health care and the cost of living.