“Parents are the first to ask to continue the mobilization”, said Monday on franceinfo Carla Dugault, co-president of the FCPE, the first federation of parents of students, while a new day of action in National Education is scheduled for Thursday, January 20. The FSU, CGT Educ’action, FO and SUD Education unions, as well as the FCPE, and the high school student movements FIDL, MNL and La Voix lycéenne call for “continue mobilization”, engaging “in a new day of action on January 20, including by strike”. Despite the discussions that took place between the organizations and the government on Thursday after the strike, “the account is still not there”, believes Carla Dugault. She cites in particular “the recruitment calendar”. The FCPE therefore calls on parents not to send their children to school on Thursday, so as not to “putting our children in an anxiety-provoking atmosphere”. They are “the future of the country”, insists Carla Dugault who does not see “How could a government be so deaf at this level.”
franceinfo: Are you asking again not to send the children to class on Thursday?
Carla Dugault: Absolutely. The account is still not there. We continue the mobilization and the parents are the first to ask to continue the mobilization. Because today, the situation in schools is untenable. It is difficult for the pupils, it is difficult for the parents, it is difficult for the personnel of the National Education. And despite the few recruitments announced by the Minister, we do not have, for example, the timetable for implementing these recruitments. There are still many things missing. And we can’t go on like this. So we have to mobilize in order to have all the means claimed for almost two years now, so that public schools can function well.
Last Thursday’s mobilization was not enough in your opinion?
Last Thursday’s mobilization was really a success since the entire educational community was on the ground, mobilized. This is also why we were received by the Prime Minister, Minister Olivier Véran and Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer. It is a success, but it is not enough.
“We must continue this mobilization. Because at a time when our children are going to take exams, we still have no concrete answers.”
Carla Dugault, co-president of the FCPEat franceinfo
We cannot continue to put our children in such an anxiety-provoking atmosphere, because our children are more anxious, because they have been going through all this for two years.
What gives you hope for further progress?
On the aspect of social dialogue, the government is not very good. For example, at the end of Thursday’s mobilization, when the request was also signed by the FCPE and the high school students’ unions, the first federation of parents of students, the FCPE, we had to insist strongly to be able to enter and participate to this discussion. The high school unions remained on the sidewalk. I think that today it is not possible not to have an investment shock for the public school, because otherwise the public school will not be able to function properly. The public school is the foundation of the Republic. Children are the future of this country. I do not see how a government could be so deaf at this level. The parents are very motivated, very uplifted. They are very angry. We tried to make the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Education understand this. This can easily crack if the government does not listen more to the actors of the educational community.