Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge launched the Strategy to Value School Personnel 2022-2026 on Tuesday.
The strategy is accompanied by an envelope of nearly $140 million, Roberge said at a news briefing at Ribambelle School in Quebec City.
Of the total, $21.3 million will be devoted to a pilot project to deploy classroom aids in 100 elementary schools, starting next fall.
Classroom assistants will be able to support teachers by performing non-instructional tasks.
In addition, $43.6 million will be allocated to support local school staff development initiatives. There is also $18.9 million to support teachers who supervise interns.
To develop this strategy, which is divided into 16 actions, the Education Ministry consulted with unions, professional orders, management associations and parents' committees, among others.
"When you talk about all the school staff, that's 270,000 people in Quebec (...) Saying thank you to them is good, but it's not enough," Roberge said. "It is perhaps time that we, as a society, we, as a government, take care of those who take care of our students."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 31, 2022.
