Quebec college students may be in classes or exams over Christmas holiday: CEGEP president

College students in Quebec may be taking exams or even classes over the winter holidays, as administrators scramble to find ways to hold the required number of classes in a semester.

College students in Quebec may be taking exams or even classes over the winter holidays, as administrators scramble to find ways to hold the required number of classes in a semester.

Federation of CEGEPs president Bernard Tremblay said that CEGEP students are required to be in class for 82 days per semester. With three strike days already on the books and more strike days coming, filling those that obligation is going to prove difficult.

"We have to look at ways to move the calendar in a direction so we can meet the requirement, which will mean going over Christmas," said Tremblay. "We're thinking of doing some classes after Christmas and even in January."

Cancelling classes is also a possibility, Tremblay said.

The Common Front, which includes unionized CEGEP staff, announced on Tuesday that seven days of strike action will start on Dec. 8 if no deal is reached.

Some CEGEPs also held student strikes this semester, which puts further stress on the schedule.

There is also the possibility, Tremblay said, that Higher Education Minister Pascale Dery could authorize a semester to be considered complete with fewer days, but that situation is not ideal as there is a reason a semester requires 82 days.