Absenteeism in Quebec schools is currently high, reaching last winter’s levels as Quebec faces its fifth wave of Covid-19.
According to the latest data provided Press According to the Ministry of Education, 126,325 students out of a total of 1.2 million students in the province did not attend class on Monday.
This is exactly 10.14% of students, all levels combined.
Of this number, 7,401 were “absent for reasons related to cold/flu and COVID-19 (without testing or with a negative test),” Quebec wrote.
In comparison, 1er In February 2022, in the midst of the fifth wave of COVID-19, 129,595 students were absent.
These days, many students’ absences are linked to several respiratory viruses, noted Kathleen Legault, president of the Montreal Association of School Principals (AMDES).
“Yes, there are absentees, we see that in the emergency room [pédiatriques]But there is no alarm in schools, no explosion, and when children return from absence, they wear a mask,” said M.me Legault.
The president of the Quebec Federation of Educational Establishment Directors (FQDE) for his part explains that the 10% of absent students is slightly higher than the commonly observed absence rates, which are “around 5 to 7%”.
“It’s not dramatic, but it’s a little more than usual. When you’re in 10%, it’s a bit worrying, especially since the trend is increasing and respiratory viruses especially affect young people,” says Nicolas Prevost.
On Tuesday, public health recommended wearing a mask in crowded public places, except in schools and daycares.
Nicolas Prévost explained that school principals rely on experts in Quebec in this regard.
However, he said he was “surprised” the measure was not applied in schools “because there are so many people in a small space”.
Some schools have already started recommending their students to wear masks, the FQDE president adds.
From the start of classes, the Ministry of Education will no longer collect school staff absences. Nicolas Prévost explained that there is no “centralized system” to do so, but the Ministry of Education is currently working on it.
“Each service center has different software. so, [le ministère] School principals are required to call each call center. It’s huge,” says Nicolas Prevost.
In Montreal directions at FQDE, we are not currently concerned about staffing shortages.
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