Nearly 5,000 Quebec teachers have quit in the last five years: report [Video]

Nearly 5,000 public school teachers with permanent positions in Quebec have quit over the past five years.

According to a report by French-language media outlet the Journal de Montreal, from 2018 to 2023, the number of teachers quitting increased by 76 per cent, for a total of 4,880.

“Our profession has been suffering for probably the last 20 years,” said Steven Le Sueur, president of the union group the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT).

QPAT said staff retention is a problem in English and French schools, with Le Sueur claiming 25 per cent of teachers leave within the first five years of their career.

While recent figures don’t disclose why employees are quitting, Le Sueur said there are several core reasons.

“It’s all about workload and cost, class composition and the support in the classroom with our special needs students,” he said.

The province and its teachers’ unions just …