The former government spokesperson and Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts takes over from Pap Ndiaye as head of National Education. Gabriel Attal will in particular have to work on the lack of attractiveness of the teaching profession and do more against harassment at school.
He simply goes down in history: Gabriel Attal became the youngest Minister of National Education in the Fifth Republic. At 34, theformer government spokesperson and Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts is one of the big winners of the cabinet reshuffle. He therefore replaces Pap Ndiaye, who failed to impose himself at the head of the Ministry of National Education. During the transfer of power, the latter admitted having lived “the most intense and bitter year” of his existence… slipping in passing that “School time is not one of continuous information and social networks, epidermal reactions, overplayed indignation, and small sentences that slam”.
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At 34, Gabriel Attal therefore continues his ascent, and the executive has chosen a faithful Emmanuel Macron, with a much more political profile than his predecessor. The fact remains that there are many projects awaiting him on rue de Grenelle, especially since the start of the school year is looming in just over a month. Overview with franceinfo.
Attracting back to the teaching profession
The attractiveness of the profession is a priority. Gabriel Attal will have to respond to the recruitment crisis. More than 3,000 positions were not filled this year in competitions. In May 2023, the SNUipp-FSU union denounced the low salaries and degraded working conditions, and predicted a thousand vacancies in September, despite a small increase from the start of the school year for all teachers, with a minimum salary of 2,000 euros net per month for beginners.
Moreover, as soon as he spoke in his new ministry, he wanted to extinguish any beginning of controversy. The one who did his schooling in the posh Alsatian School in Paris before graduating from Sciences Po also chose to clear up two reproaches as soon as he took office: his young age and his passage in this ultra-elitist private school. “You can be 34 years old and have heavy responsibilities. One in three teachers is under 40“, he put forward, before sliding, “Yes, I went to private school. I don’t have to deny and apologizer”, he added calling for not “not criticize the parents who make this choice“.
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There is also the Pact part, much more controversial: a bonus in exchange for more work. In colleges and high schools, the priority missions will be short-term replacement: if the maths teacher is absent, the English teacher, for example, takes this hour of class to advance his subject. This will require a large organization in schools, especially since the unions strongly criticize this device. VSHowever, it is a very important issue: each year, students lose a lot of hours, due to non-replaced absences. “It will be my priority“, said Gabriel Attal during the transfer of power.
Reassert authority at school, fight school bullying
During the transfer of power with Pap Ndiaye, the new Minister of National Education evoked authority. “Get back to simple things“, said Gabriel Attal: “respect for the teacher and his authority, mastery of fundamental knowledge, and respect for secularismThis line is the one developed by Emmanuel Macron, especially since the riots that marked France for several nights at the end of June-beginning of July, after the death of young Nahel in a police check in Nanterre.
Moving forward on the issue of harassment is also a very important challenge. Pap Ndiaye unfortunately understood this too late, after the tragedy of young Lindsay’s suicide. Elisabeth Borne herself said that this question would be a priority for the next school year, we now have to see how these words will materialize.
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The redesign of the pending tray
Gabriel Attal will also have to alter the organization of the baccalaureate, rsomehow reform the reform implemented by Jean-Michel Blanquer, of which he was the Secretary of State. The teacher unions also fear a return to the Blanquer era, which they did not particularly appreciate. The outgoing Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye himself recognized it: with the specialty tests in March, the 3rd quarter was difficult in high schools, with a lot of absenteeism, relaxation. A mission was entrusted to a former rector, who was to submit his conclusions before the start of the school year. Gabriel Attal will have to take over this file on his own.
The teacher unions are waiting for someone who can carry the files, listen to the field and defend the staff, with Emmanuel Macron. “Gabriel Attal arrives at a decisive moment for the future of our school“, reacted on July 20 on franceinfo the general secretary of the SNES-FSU union, Sophie Vénétitay. We will see at the start of the school year the real room for maneuver that the youngest Minister of National Education in the 5th Republic will be able to concretely emerge.