Teachers, their union and Education Department officials agree — the ongoing pandemic and an early flu season have made it hard to keep public schools adequately staffed. • The two sides haven't provided absenteeism figures, however, and paint wildly different pictures of how schools are faring as a result. • Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Ryan Lutes, testifying before the legislature's standing committee on human resources Tuesday, called it a "crisis." • "This is not a return to normal," Lutes told the all-party committee. "Too often teachers are being asked to give up their already inadequate prep time due to a chronic shortage of qualified substitute teachers." • "As a result, teachers are finding it harder and harder to develop those rich learning experiences that leave a lasting impact on our kids." • Elwin LeRoux, Nova Scotia's associate deputy minister of Education, tried to sound reassuring. • "I can assure everyone today there is a teacher in every classroom," LeRoux told the committee. "So our efforts to date have assured that learning is happening." • "And thanks to the quality of the staff that we have, I would say high quality learning is happening." • LeRoux and officials in his department said the shortage of teachers is Canada-wide, but that the regional centres for education across the province were actively searching for substitute teachers. • To read more about the shortage and how it’s affecting classrooms, click the link in our bio. • 📝 Jean Laroche/CBC 📷 Kris Schmidt/Shutterstock • • • #teaching #education #shortage #schools #crisis #fluseason #covid19 #novascotia