Published at 2:17 a.m. Updated at 5:00 a.m.
At a time when CEGEPs are going to the dogs due to a glaring lack of maintenance and renovations, the Fédération des cégeps says it has heard from Quebec that “there is a desire to restrict infrastructure investments” in the college network.
In interview with The PressMarie Montpetit, the former Liberal minister who has just been appointed president and CEO of the Fédération des cégeps, did not hide her concern.
The Press reported this week that not only were CEGEPs bursting at the seams, largely due to a predicted population boom, but their dilapidated state was now taking its toll.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Lionel-Groulx College in Sainte-Thérèse has acquired modular complexes housing around twenty classrooms.
Marie Montpetit, who had not commented on the situation until now, indicates that to meet the needs, “the equivalent of seven additional CEGEPs” would be needed.
Of course, this is out of the question, but in many places urgent renovation and expansion work is necessary.
Ms. Montpetit says she is “concerned that this obsolescence is not being taken into account more by Quebec,” which, according to what she hears, is preparing to slow down the pace of both building maintenance and new projects.
“We hope that the Premier of Quebec, who has always placed education at the heart of his priorities, will continue to do so.”
CEGEPs did not fall into ruin overnight. Who did not react, despite the warnings of the Auditor General?
“There is a slowness in everything related to infrastructure,” replies Ms. Montpetit.
Read the editorial “Help, our CEGEPs need love”
Exceptional increase in the number of students
While ministerial forecasts envisaged a 2% increase in the number of students in CEGEPs this year, it is actually 5.3%.
Added to this – although the demographic factor has more weight – is the fact that, for 20 years, the rate of transition from secondary school to CEGEP has been increasing steadily.
Another factor: delays in graduation. Only a minority of CEGEP students complete their studies within the expected time frame.
This delays their entry into the job market and for some, it also delays their financial independence and this can have consequences on Quebec’s productivity.
Marie Montpetit, President of the Federation of CEGEPs
She therefore intends to also tackle success, particularly that of French courses.
Because according to data from the Ministry of Higher Education, a quarter of students do not pass their first French course at CEGEP.
We must continue to help students in French, continue to combat dropping out among boys, but generally speaking, we must also better recognize that the transition between high school and CEGEP is not easy for everyone.
For the first time this year, a second date will be allowed to drop a course without a failure. Students will be able to drop one or more courses before September 20, as usual, but also two-thirds of the way through their session.
The importance of foreign students
What about students from abroad? Currently, 9,280 students from other countries are enrolled, an increase of 14.4% compared to last year.
Marie Montpetit insists, however: they are far from being responsible for the lack of space in CEGEPs.
They are mainly registered in regional CEGEPs – which conduct major attraction campaigns every year – and allow these establishments to offer certain programs which, otherwise, would not attract sufficient numbers of students and would have to close.
But how many of them settle in Quebec? The Fédération des cégeps says it would very much like the retention rate to be calculated, but that this figure does not exist.
Finally, CEGEPs want to welcome many more workers in continuing education, argues Ms. Montpetit.
It remains to be seen to what extent the dilapidated state, the lack of premises and the difficulty, in some cases, of finding teachers in certain fields can hinder the desire of the Fédération des cégeps to also fulfill this mission.
Learn more
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56.9% Proportion of girls among the 184,709 students enrolled in CEGEP
source: Federation of CEGEPs
10% increase in the number of CEGEP students this year in Lanaudière (592 more registrations), the strongest growth of all regions in Quebec
source: Federation of CEGEPs
