Gabriel Attal disowned by his Minister of Education?

Nicole Belloubet, indicated Thursday that she was going to “relax” the implementation of future level groups in college, promised by Gabriel Attal. Is this a disavowal of the method of his predecessor who became Prime Minister?

The new Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet declared Thursday March 7, in an interview with World, that she was going “introduce some flexibility” in the establishment of level groups in middle school in French and mathematics. The teaching unions, hostile to this measure which they consider to be a “recoil”, were delighted with the minister’s announcement, welcoming it as a disavowal of her predecessor’s method.

Gabriel Attal announced in December the establishment of level groups in French and maths in 6th and 5th grade classes from the start of the school year in September 2024, then in 4th and 3rd grade the following year. This is one of the emblematic measures of his “clash of knowledge” which aims to raise the level of falling middle school students in these fundamental lessons, according to the latest delivery of the Pisa ranking. Teachers’ unions denounce the risk of operating a “sorting students” from the 6th grade and it is this fairly massive hostility from the teachers which leads the minister to rectify the situation.

However, Nicole Belloubetdo not abandon the measure,u contrary. She wants, she says “do everything” to make this commitment “possible and applicable in the field”. In short, it’s just a change of tone, not of objective. After the slamming announcements, it’s time for caution and pragmatism. With a slightly different vocabulary. Nicole Belloubet does not talk about “level groups”but of “need groups” Or “of skill”. And she insists on “the autonomy of establishments”.

A relaxation in agreement with Matignon

This inflection is primarily due to the brevity of Gabriel Attal’s stay at Education, barely five months, no time to worry about stewardship. He too probably should have been more flexible if he had stayed longer. Besides, “flexibility” put forward on Thursday by Nicole Belloubet was in full agreement with Matignon who made it known that the Prime Minister continues to closely follow everything concerning the “school cause”. But ultimately, the minister didn’t have much choice.

Nicole Belloubet was appointed rue de Grenelle with a first mission, urgent and imperative: to repair the damage caused by the passage of the Oudéa-Castera storm, the temporary worker who alienated Education staff in a few days . Nicole Belloubet must play the role of peacekeeper, easing tensions with the only means of listening and dialogue, tools that are even more essential at a time when the State is entering a period of budgetary lean times.