While the unions are warning of absences in half of the schools, the parents of students concerned by the absence of teachers are organizing themselves and oscillating between worry and anger.
“There will be a teacher in front of each student.” This was again assured by Gabriel Attal, who had just been transferred to National Education at the end of August. The new minister echoed the comments made on March 22 by Emmanuel Macron, who had made the shortage of teachers his educational priority. Absent teachers even had to be replaced “overnight”, in particular thanks to the brand new “pact”, a system which allows volunteers to carry out short-term replacements, in exchange for a salary bonus. But it only took a few days to deny the executive’s commitment.
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According to feedback from the unions, timetables still have gaps. A week after the start of the school year, on average, at least one teacher was missing in 48% of middle and high schools in France, says Snes-FSU, main secondary union. For SNPDEN-Unsa, the majority union of management staff, the situation is worse with 58% of establishments affected by the absence of at least one teacher.
During a trip to Eure-et-Loir, Friday September 15, Gabriel Attal affirmed that he remained “around 200 positions” to be filled in middle and high schools, recalling that the“major objective” is of “reduce absences as much as possible”. According to information from franceinfo from his office, 155 positions are also unfilled in primary education. The first victims of these absences: the students and, by extension, their parents. Reorganization of the timetable, iworries for the future, anger against the institution… Franceinfo collected the testimony of five of them.
Audrey: “I had to stop to look after my daughter”
Schooled in CE1 in Thiais (Val-de-Marne), Léana has not had a teacher since the start of the school year. “Her teacher is on maternity leave, the rectorate had planned a replacement. She came on the first day of the school year, then took time off due to illness before also going on maternity leave”, assures Audrey, her mother. Initially, Léana and her classmates were distributed to other classes. “I stopped for a week to look after my daughter”deplores Audrey, who did not want her daughter to be busy with “coloring”. Friday September 8, she finally called the rectorate to complain.
“I was told very seriously: ‘You open your computer, you connect to Eduschol [le site officiel d’accompagnement des profs]you print the sheets and you make your daughter work.”
Audrey, parent of a student in Val-de-Marneat franceinfo
A new replacement finally took over lessons in Léana’s class between Tuesday September 12 and Friday September 15. And after ? “We do not know”, sighs Audrey. During lessons at home, she prioritized reading and reviewing CP for her daughter. “When I talk to other parents, the CE1s are already well advanced in the geometry and grammar program”she worries. Ultimately, Audrey does not hide her concern: “S‘They haven’t acquired the basics of elementary school, what will they do next?’
Aurélie: “We organize ourselves to carpool”
At Jean-Marie Molliet college in Boëge (Haute-Savoie), Mila has not had any French lessons since the start of the year, due to lack of replacement. “It’s a ravine compared to last year”notes Aurélie, her mother, adding that, until a few days ago, there was also a lack of Italian, technology and Latin teachers in the establishment. But the rectorate is still looking for a French teacher, as franceinfo noted in an email from the college management.
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While this subject takes up 4.5 hours of her week, Mila’s schedule is considerably reduced. “As there is a lack of educational assistants to cover study hours, we organize on WhatsApp with other parents to carpool and pick up the children”, explains Aurélie. Because the college is poorly served, this system already existed last year, but only for “classic” return trips at the start and end of the day. “There were a lot fewer organized trips. There, oWe spend our time meeting other parents when we go down to the valley”laments the mother.
Florence: “I thought about enrolling my daughter at Cned”
At the international school complex of Ferney-Voltaire (Ain), Eleonore is also waiting to discover who will provide her with French lessons as she takes her baccalaureate at the end of the year. “There are no names on the schedule, because the position has not been the subject of an appointment. It is very anxiety-inducing for them”, explains his mother Florence. In this first class, half of the students also do not have an SES teacher, their specialty education. “I thought about registering my daughter at Cned [Centre national d’enseignement à distance] to learn French. But they can only prepare her for the methodology, and not for the works themselves.”she explains.
“It is not up to families to pay for the education that children should receive.”
Florence, parent of a student in Ainat franceinfo
Already last year, a petition from parents of students had circulated to protest against the shortage of teachers in this high school, as franceinfo was able to verify. “We has the particularity of being a cross-border region with Switzerland, the cost of living is very high, especially in terms of housing. Teachers who settle with us must obtain a cost-of-living bonus, like in the Paris region.” Florence campaigner.
Philippe: “We make three round trips a day”
In Guadeloupe, in Saint-Louis de Marie-Galante, Lisa is missing “French, English, Spanish and SVT teachers”, Philippe list. This father underlines it: living in the West Indies “has its complicated aspects. We are on an island off the coast of Guadeloupe. We accumulate problems, because if there is a shortage of teachers everywhere in France, they are even less motivated to come and work in these places”, notes Philippe. He assures that, “for two or three” of these absent teachers, “the rectorate was aware of it at the end of last year”.
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Philippe adds that this college is missing two supervisors out of four and a CPE. “The students cannot be supervised, so they play in the playground. With my partner, because we work for ourselves and we do not live far from the school, we arrange to take her home as soon as possible”explains the one who does “up to three round trips per day”. To avoid major learning gaps, Philippe is considering giving Lisa, who is in fourth grade, private reinforcement lessons. “It’s complicated, you have to find competent people locally. For now, we’re trying to fill in the holes with exercises found on the internet”he restores.
Loutfi: “I’m considering putting him in a private school”
Rayane entered CE2, at the Grésillons B elementary school, in Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine). Since the start of the school year, he has already had “three different replacements”, laments his father Loutfi. His initial teacher is on long-term sick leave. On certain days, when no one could provide replacement, he and his comrades were “dispatched” in other classes. “One Tuesday, I ended up taking him home with me. I’m on paternity leave, which allowed me to keep him. I have no guarantee on the work my son does when he’s in another class, I don’t want it to be daycare”explains Loutfi.
“For me, it’s as if he still hasn’t made it to school. He’s already having difficulty solving math problems. I’m very worried.”
Loutfi, parent of a student in Hauts-de-Seineat franceinfo
“The children are in the process of building and we accentuate the difficulties by putting a different adult in front of them every day”, is outraged by those who demand a long-term replacement. Thursday, September 14, several parents and teachers from the school gathered in front of the premises of the National Education Inspectorate, in the third district of Gennevilliers, to obtain an appointment. According to Loutfi, some were finally received on Friday, but no concrete response was provided to resolve the situation. “I’m considering putting him in a private school or homeschooling him.” next year, assumes this father of the family.