Secondary students should not miss their courses on Friday to protest against the ban on cellular at school, says Bernard Drainville. The minister of Education reacted Thursday to videos calling for the strike circulating on the Internet.
Posted at 7:10 p.m.
However, the Minister opened the door to exemptions, especially for francization classes, where some students use their phone for translation, as well as for students with special needs.
Bernard Drainville invited Quebec parents to intervene with their teenagers. “Parents have to have a discussion with their children tonight to tell them, listen, I understand that you’re not happy, but you don’t have to miss school for that,” he said.
It is normal that adolescents have a negative reaction to the new directive, added Bernard Drainville, “but from there to boycott the school, that’s not correct”.
The minister encouraged students to express their dissatisfaction otherwise. He gave the example of a petition against the directive that has been collecting thousands of signatures for a week, an initiative which he described as “completely correct and legitimate”.
Bernard Drainville believes that the new directive will require a transition period. However, the report of the Special Commission on the impacts of screens and social networks on the health and development of young people (CSESJ) has shown that the students who have tested the prohibition have used it, he said. “There was a negative reaction, but once they knew what it was a cell without cellular, they don’t want to go back,” he said.
-Controversial call
The video inviting to the strike, published on Tiktok by a teenager named Youry Roy, had collected more than 650,000 views Thursday evening.
Many comments under the publication welcome the initiative, but most of them oppose it. “Your reaction is exactly the reason for all these measures,” said a user named Shamaw Boudidi. “You abuse seriousness, it’s so much better for us,” writes another user, named Alycia.
Several secondary schools notified the parents of the email initiative on Wednesday. The management of Lucille Teasdale secondary school in Blainville recalled that exams, including ministerial tests, are scheduled for the coming weeks.
“Any absence or disruption could lead to serious consequences for the students concerned,” read the message, that The press consulted.
The Quebec secondary schools are preparing for absences this Friday, according to Nicolas Prévost, president of the Quebec Federation of Educational Establishments (FQDE). However, a strike would have “little or no impact” on the implementation of the plan presented last Thursday by Bernard Drainville, according to him.
