Several dozen teachers, mostly from priority education colleges, protested Friday morning against this measure wanted by Gabriel Attal.
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The future for middle school level groups remains unclear. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who continues to want them to come into force next September despite strong criticism, speaks of “level” groups. The Minister ofEeducation Nicole Belloubet, for her part, preferred to talk, Friday March 15 on franceinfo, about “need” groups in 6th and 5th grade. Teachers are in any case worried, particularly those from priority education colleges. They demonstrated Friday morning in front of the Lyon rectorate.
And whatever term is used, the opinion is the same among the educational community: this system is “harmful” according to two teachers from the Georges Brassens college, in Décines, a suburb of Lyon. “All educational studies show that level groups are harmful because they assign the student to a level. Behind them, their self-confidence will be completely damaged”laments the professor. “They are between 11 and 14 years old and in two minutes they are able to understand that it’s not going to work. The first thing they say is that ‘it’s not happening’, that ‘we’re going to be taken for idiots'”continues his colleague.
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Devices “threatened” by level groups
The consequence of this clash of knowledge in colleges is a drop in resources, explains André Voirin, professor at the Henri Barbusse college in Vaulx-en-Velin and Snes trade unionist. “Hours were taken away from us in the REP and REP establishments+, and more particularly at Henri Barbusse College, to give hours to other colleges. So we concretely lose 5 hours of hourly allocation, which allowed for example for us to split groups in science, to have the reinforced Spanish option, etc… he fears. All these systems are clearly threatened for the benefit of an organization that no one wanted and for which we no longer understand anything. asserts the professor.
Priority education colleges have been going on strike in turn for a month in the Rhône. They hope to be heard before the start of the school year and the establishment of these level groups in 6th and 5th grade.
