Teacher makes video of crumbling ceiling for Quebec's education minister

In the 24 years that Claude Whiting has been teaching, he says he's never seen an official with Quebec's Education Ministry pay a visit to his school.

The fact that part of the school's ceiling was falling downmade matters more pressing.

So the gym teacher atLouis JosephPapineauHigh Schoolin Montreal's St-Michel neighbourhood made a 22-minute video, addressedto Education Minister FranoisBlais.

In it, Whitingdetailedthe poor condition of the school.

Whiting started in the gym, showing off the nice paint job on the walls done by volunteers. Then he focused his lens on the patchwork ceiling

Chicken wire keepspieces of plaster thatbreak loose from the ceiling from falling on the kids in the gym.

However, he said, the ceiling's problems are more seriousthan a few rogue pieces of plaster. He said a large portion of concrete appears to be detached and has been threatening to fall for years.

Education minister responds

The video had the desired effect the education minister said on Thursday at the National Assembly that he was concerned.

"What's worrying me is the safety of personnel and of students," Blais said. He said the school board Quebec's largest, the Commission Scolaire de Montralhad the money to make the right decision and repair the school.

The school board responded,saying itdoes not have the money, estimated at as much as$800,000, to repair the ceiling. Even so, ithas since closed one of the gyms for two weeks to carry out short-term repairs.

It said it would finish the more extensive repair job by 2017.

Whiting is pleased his video got to its intended destination, but he said he shouldn't have had to make a video to shame authoritiesinto fixing the school.

"We shouldn't have to do that. I think our children have the right to not only quality education but... they also have the right to quality buildings, or at least safe [ones]," he said.