At the end of the 90s, the PQ François Legault became Minister of Education. As the spiritual father of success plans and performance contracts, he paved the way for performance-based management. He was able to impose his accounting vision of Education.
Since the start of the new millennium, about a dozen different individuals have taken control of the Ministry of Education. A retrospective of the events would undoubtedly allow us to notice a tendency: the presence of fixed ideas among most of these people in power.
In short, the illustration of a certain contempt for the sciences of education. The chaining of several decisions based on dubious opinions or assumptions. Improvised patching according to the mood of the moment.
For the best
Bernard Drainville was one of six potential candidates to take control of education. Despite everything, his appointment surprised the main actors on the ground.
As wrote Julie Marceauif the unions and managers of the school network warmly welcomed the new Minister of Education on Thursday, on closed microphone we say we are “worried”, “perplexed” and “in shock”, in particular because of his clear-cut positions in Education .
So what do school staff want?
Carl Ouellet, president of the Association québécoise du personnel de direction des écoles, puts it simply: “We would like a minister who listens. We would like upstream fieldwork and consultations, where we can discuss ideas together.”
In order to solve the many complex and interrelated problems, it will be necessary to put reason before passion. People in the field and academics must be involved.
If there is one important element to take away from the statements of the new minister, it is that everyone must do their part. I share his opinion. We have to get out of the political and corporatist discourse.
And for the worse
There are two things that all Quebecers seem capable of doing instinctively: coaching Canadians and coaching the school environment.
Thus, Mr. Drainville will have to rise above the fray and show us that he is more of a Minister of Education than a radio host. In a world where pedagogy must reign supreme, it is always perilous to venture down the path of barriers to dialogue.
Many things he has already said, in just one week, could be answered, even warned.
For example, in response to a question related to a recent study on the presence of a three-tier school (here and here), Mr. Drainville clearly expressed his disagreement with this finding.
For a moment, I imagined myself being the minister invited to a radio program hosted by Bernard Drainville… and that he was asking me this question:
– Sylvain, do you agree that there is bullying in our schools?
– No Bernard. That’s not how I see it.