A ministerial directive requires the province’s CEGEPs to tighten their belts in terms of real estate, furniture, equipment, tools and libraries. In Sherbrooke, the establishment must deal with a 52% cut in the real estate envelope.
The general director of Cégep de Sherbrooke, Éric Gagné, predicts the worst for next year. This year, only the necessary equipment was renewed due to budget restrictions. The Union of Teaching Staff of the Cégep de Sherbrooke (SPECS-CSN) has also shown concern in recent weeks.
In an open letter, teaching members of the general education committee of the Cégep de Sherbrooke ask the government that the purchase of books be excluded from budget cuts.
“While the challenges in literacy are numerous, and disinformation is so present, it is shameful that a government attacks the very objects that allow access to knowledge and perspectives that form, enrich and nuance our postures. , and this, within the very institutions that train its citizens,” we can read.
These cuts could have harmful long-term effects if no books are purchased until March 31, 2025, says the coordinator of the general education committee and teacher in the Department of Literature and Communication at Cégep de Sherbrooke, Anissa Laplante.
“We know that for several months, there will be no purchases made, unless it is really urgent for a particular course.”
In its open letter, the general education committee of the Cégep de Sherbrooke maintains that there are several challenges in literacy. (Michel Tremblay/Archives Le Quotidien)
According to Ms. Laplante, her colleagues are “discouraged and angry.” “There are sums that were already committed by the Cégep. We expected to have certain amounts. Improvised and arbitrary [le gouvernement] cut it all off. […] This is a government that says the priority should be the priority, but we have great doubts about it.”
The Cégep de Sherbrooke book collection will suffer the consequences, according to her. “The entire book chain is weakened every time there is a media center or library that stops buying books or documents. […] Anything that is published in the coming months, we will not have access to it. I don’t know if there will be any catching up, but we can imagine that it can never be completely caught up.”
This could make it more difficult for students to research items “that are not directly related to a course or requested by a teacher.”
“Students will not have access to everything that is published in philosophy, science, etc.”
— Anissa Laplante
She deplores that books are not prioritized in the education system. In particular, she gives the example of primary and secondary teachers who have to buy books for their class with their own money.
“There are many libraries or small places where there were books in primary schools which were used to put classes because there was a lack of places. We know that in primary and secondary schools, libraries are not taken care of. At Cégep, we are quite proud of our book collections. We are part of higher education. And there, we realize that there is going to be a gap of several months,” she emphasizes.
Annissa Laplante is a teacher at Cégep de Sherbrooke. (Frédéric Côté/Archives La Tribune)
The general training committee aims to ensure consistency between specific training in the programs and general training. He is also interested in political issues involving general education.
Four disciplines make up general education: literature, English as a secondary language, philosophy and physical education.
