Majority of Quebecers dissatisfied with education system, new survey suggests

Nearly 70 per cent of respondents believe that major changes need to be made.
Graphic by Keven Vaillancourt / The Concordian

According to a recent Léger survey, 68 per cent of Quebecers believe that Quebec’s education system is in need of a major change. 

On Jan. 2, the Centrale des Syndicats du Québec (CSQ) announced the results of this survey at its first press conference of the year. 

“[The result] doesn’t really surprise me,” said Hayley Bleho, a Concordia English literature student in her final semester. “I think that there’s a lot of frustration for Quebecers with the education system,” 

The survey found that 63 per cent of respondents believed that educational services in Quebec were not appropriate or sufficient.

While many factors play into the results, CSQ President Éric Gingras highlighted the role of tightening budgets in the quality of education. 

“You cannot cut one dollar in education right now; [the budget is] not sufficient,” said Gingras.

On March 12, 2024, the Quebec government presented a 2024-25 budget, which increased spending on post-secondary education by 3.5 per cent. Despite the overall increase in university funding, Concordia University and other English universities are largely excluded from these benefits. In June, Concordia reported losing more grant funding than any other university in Quebec. 

“I wouldn’t say that there’s been a drop in the quality of my education, but I’ve definitely seen the effects of the tightened budgets,” said Bleho. 

Specifically, Bleho said that she noticed a reduction in the number of courses available, which has made it difficult to enroll in specialized courses. 

Gabriella Barakat, a Concordia philosophy and sociology student, had a similar experience enrolling in courses. 

“You really just have to be on the nose about it; it’s as if you’re on Ticketmaster buying concert tickets,” said Barakat. 

49 per cent of survey respondents believed that young people in Quebec do not have access to safe and healthy learning environments. Even though there are student services, Barakat said she finds them inaccessible due to lack of information and long wait times. Bleho said that she has been hesitant to seek support from the university due to a lack of information. 

“I think the services are there, but I just lack guidance to navigate it,” said Bleho. 

Understaffing due to budget cuts and poor employee retention has become an issue throughout schools in the province, and universities are not exempt from this trend. 

Due to budget constraints, Concordia currently has 180 unfilled staff positions and will not begin “strategic recruitment” of new staff until the 2025-26 academic year. This is one of the many budget strategies Concordia has implemented. According to Concordia Spokesperson Julie Fortier, only a small number of these unoccupied positions relate directly to student services. 

On Dec. 11, Anne Whiteclaw, provost and vice-president, academic of Concordia, and Denis Cossette, CFO, published a budget update on the university.

“Due to the high uncertainty created by the Quebec government’s tuition changes and the Canadian government’s new visa restrictions, Concordia lost roughly 1,400 students, or 3.4 per cent of the student population, this academic year — the largest decline in its history,” Cossette and Whiteclaw wrote in the budget update. 

Bleho expressed frustration with Concordia using funds to promote the image of the university for its 50th anniversary during a budgetary crisis. “It just kind of feels like their priorities are in the wrong place.” 

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