Quebec announces $300M tutoring plan for students affected by teachers' strike

Students who missed class time because of teachers' strikes in Quebec will have access to additional tutoring, but the academic year will not be extended.

Students who missed class time because of teachers' strikes in Quebec will have access to additional tutoring, but the academic year will not be extended.

The Quebec government will spend $300 million on the tutoring services, which will be offered to students who need it but will have to be completed outside of school hours, Bernard Drainville, Quebec's education minister, said at a news conference Tuesday where he presented the government's back-to-school plan.

Drainville said the government would hire teachers, including retired and student teachers, to do the tutoring.

It would be on a voluntary basis for students who need help catching up on material. Some schools may also choose to offer students tutoring over March break, he said, but that too would be based on student need and would not be mandatory.

"The needs are different from student to student, from school to school, from service centre to service centre," he said.