“Distressing to see this president who talks about the school of the past”, tackle teachers

From the Elysée, the head of state placed emphasis on youth and schools to “rearm” the country. But these announcements did not convince national education professionals, already heated by the declarations of the new minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.

A “civic rearmament” promises Emmanuel Macron. The Head of State made numerous announcements on Tuesday January 16 during a press conference in front of 200 journalists – and millions of viewers – live from the Elysée. He particularly insisted on the concept of “rearmament“, emphasizing young people with the return of uniforms to school and the regulation of screens.

So many proposals put on the table which have not convinced the professionals of National Education, already heated by the declarations of the new minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. For Raphaël, teacher in a college in Montreuil, in Seine-Saint-Denis, and SNESS-FSU trade unionist, the disappointment was quick: “I was hoping that he would announce the resignation of our minister because it has scandalized us, the teachers, for several days“, he tackles.

The Minister of Education Amélie Oudéa-Castéra “made a public statement that was awkward“on the education of his children in a private school and”was right to apologize“, said Emmanuel Macron during the press conference. On this burning issue, Emmanuel Macron announced that his government would “continue to attack with strength“to this”subject of replacement so that every student has a teacher for each hour of lessons scheduled“, he said.
For him, the minister, in evoking these unreplaced absences, “raised a subject which is a real subject. This will be one of the priorities to be carried out in line with what the Prime Minister still had to do a few weeks ago“, he added.

“A Third Republic side”

He also denounces measures “artificial“, not really new and an outdated vision of school. “Compulsory theater education, I didn’t see that coming. Like the change of name of the EMC, moral and civic education, to civic instruction with a reinforcement which has something a little more traditional and a Third Republic side. Without forgetting the uniform, that’s exactly what Gabriel Attali said at the time. It’s a lot of symbolism“, he remarks.

An observation shared by Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU union: “It’s quite distressing, dismaying, to see this president who talks about the schools of the past, who recycles but who absolutely does not understand the challenges of the schools of today and tomorrow, while ‘we are almost in a situation of collapse of public schools“, she laments.

Raphaël, the teacher in a college in Montreuil, also regrets that“There has been no announcement of resources. And then, the big question I have at the moment is this reform of the single middle school, which Gabriel Attal announced just before leaving the Ministry of National Education, which I find extremely harmful. I have not heard any confirmation or denial on the future of this reform. Well, theater is good, but it doesn’t replace jobs, it doesn’t replace a real education policy!”he concludes.

“National education is not this president’s priority”

According to Sophie Vénétitay, “Emmanuel Macron bears a heavy responsibility in this situation“on the difficulty of replacing absent teachers. According to her, the Head of State”mainly removed means of replacement“, taking as an example the case of the Dijon academy where, she asserts, “between 2021 and 2023 the means of replacement for middle and high schools decreased by 32%”. As for the Teachers’ Pact, “it’s a lie to say that it made it possible to make replacements“, replies Sophie Vénétitay who adds: “It was not very successful“.

Finally, on the question of teacher training, the general secretary speaks of “big blur” which shows that “National Education is not this president’s priority” : “We hear everything and anything about teacher training, this is not the first time that Emmanuel Macron has spoken about training upon leaving the baccalaureate.“. According to her, “we must take part in the discussions to take stock“.”Emmanuel Macron seeks to occupy the land but in his announcements there is a lot of recycling“, she concludes.