MONTREAL, Oct. 2, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - "Teachers are feeling abandoned. Most of our teachers are working in schools located in the "red zones" and while the Minister of Health asks the general public to stay inside their family bubbles and avoid gatherings, teachers are being asked to spend their days in poorly ventilated classrooms with up to 32 students with no masks, and no social distancing. It's inconsistent and illogical," said Heidi Yetman, president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT).
Many regions of Quebec are now declared "red zones", which means that they have reached a critical level for the spread of Covid-19. New public health measures and rules have been put into place by the Ministry of Health for the general public. The QPAT is asking why the Ministry of Health has not imposed any new additional public health measures for schools and centres in order to protect the health and safety of teachers, students and their respective families and to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
In August, the QPAT sent a letter to the Minister of Health, Dr. Arruda and the Minister of Education asking several questions about the school reopening plan, including students wearing face coverings in the classroom, reduced student-teacher ratios to allow for physical distancing and measures to address the lack of appropriate ventilation in schools. This week a group of 26 doctors and scientists wrote an open letter in La Presse urging the government to adopt measures relating to aeration and ventilation. The ministries and public health authorities have not addressed these issues.
In mid-September the QPAT conducted a survey to obtain the point of view of its members regarding the reopening of schools and centres in the context of the Covid-19 measures. More than 2,500 teachers responded to the survey. 40% of the teachers that responded felt that the public health measures put in place in the classrooms were inadequate and 40% felt the ventilation in their classroom was insufficient. Over 70% indicated that social distancing was not possible in their classrooms.
"Prior to the pandemic, teachers' working conditions were already very difficult. The pandemic has only made this worse. It's only the beginning of October and teachers are already overwhelmed and exhausted. This is not sustainable. We fear the whole system will collapse if the government doesn't act now," concluded Yetman.
The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers represents 8,000 teachers in the English sector in the province of Quebec.
SOURCE Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers
Media Contact: Julie Montpetit, [email protected], 514 249-9653
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