Alberta students have returned to class, but many say overcrowded classrooms remain a reality

Tensions remain high after Alberta forced teachers off the picket lines and back to work. Kathy Le has reaction.

Alberta parents say they are relieved the teachers’ strike ended last week, but some are far from celebrating.

Educators were forced back to work after the provincial government invoked the notwithstanding clause to pass back-to-work legislation. While students have returned to class, many families say overcrowded classrooms remain a reality.

In Calgary, Delowar Hossain and his wife, Sira Jum Monira, have created a workspace at home for their five-year-old daughter. They are glad school has resumed, but say they remain deeply concerned that the issues that sparked the strike have not been resolved.

“The problem they had is still there. If those problems are not addressed, that’s the main concern,” Hossain said.

The new legislation imposes a four-year contract that teachers had overwhelmingly rejected. The province offered funding for 3000 new teachers and 1500 education assistants but the Alberta Teachers’ Association said it does not meet classroom needs.

Hossain said he never expected educators would be forced back to work.

“We expected both parties would sit down and come to a mutual solution,” he said.

The United Conservative Party’s move prompted thousands of students to walk out of school in support of their teachers. The Alberta Federation of Labour also warned a general strike could be considered, although it stopped short of formally calling one.

Labour relations expert Jason Foster of Athabasca University explained that a general strike could see hundreds of thousands of workers across different sectors walk off the job for a short period of time.

“We are seeing a level of strike activity and organized activity that we haven’t seen since the 1980s,” he said.

As the labour dispute continues to unfold Hossain and his wife say they are worried about how their daughter will cope in an overcrowded classroom and whether she will fall behind.

“I feel my daughter will be very behind,” Hossain said.

“I want my daughter to get some special care — not too many students in one crowded class,” Monira added.

Until conditions improve, the family has diverted what little savings they have into private tutoring, trying to give their daughter the best chance to succeed.