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After the Easter holidays, French teachers are ready to do more strikes in defiance of the "Blanquer Law" – a modernization of the national school system designed by Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer to make education less elitist, but which, according to the critics, will aggravate the situation and upset the standardized system to which France has long attached great value.
One of the greatest reforms in education since school became compulsory and free in the 19th century revolves around the school of trust – restore confidence in schools. "From kindergarten to university, we are changing everything," said President Emmanuel Macron.
With major reforms in high schools (high schools) and the baccalaureate already pushed by parliament, this new law restructures the system from kindergarten to college. The changes will ensure that all students are offered the same opportunities, regardless of social clbad or background.
The clbades will be smaller. the school results will be better; the study of foreign and clbadical languages - in particular Latin and Greek – will be privileged; and teachers will be encouraged to work together on topics covering different topics in interdisciplinary clbades (the traditional French model in college is a teacher, a subject). Schools can even take charge of defining part of the program themselves.
French and European flags will be suspended in all clbadrooms – where mobile phones will be banned – and all children will have to learn the words by hand. Marseillaise, the French national anthem.
Blanquer himself has touted reforms that would mark the greatest impetus for social justice ever seen – but teachers and parents are not convinced and they persist in conducting strikes across the country. In a joint statement, seven unions said the Blanquer law would "disrupt" the functioning of schools.
Education 'mingled with politics & # 39;
"We need a national education framework more supported by research on learning methods – and less by politics," said Francette Popineau, secretary general of SNUIPP, France's leading union. supporting primary school teachers.
"Today, both are confused. Politicians engage in pedagogy and we see the limits, because being a good minister does not mean that you will be a good teacher. "
Among the most controversial measures is the regrouping of nursery schools (from 3 to 6 years old), primary schools (from 7 to 10 years old) and colleges (from 11 to 15 years old) under a single administrative entity to create "institutions public ", or EPSF – which must be managed by the director of the college in question.
Unions fear that the loss of kindergarten and elementary school principals will undermine the close relationship these schools have with their parents. Add to this the fear that some kindergartens and primary schools will be forced to close their doors in rural communities, forcing children to leave their region to go to school.
"We need an education policy that helps the poorest and most remote families in the schools," said Popineau. "It's extremely important to have inclusive schools, but this law offers no solution to guarantee that."
Teachers must be "exemplary"
Teachers also worry about the law's requirement that they be "exemplary" models for students, arguing that this threatens freedom of expression and could expose them to disciplinary sanctions. . Then there is the provision that allows teachers in training to play the role of their fully qualified counterparts.
According to Renaud Carpy of the parent advocacy group, CIPF, the Federation of Parent Parent Councils, this is particularly worrisome. "The law will allow fourth-year students – who have not been trained and did not take the exam to become a teacher – to replace teachers in schools up to eight hours a week," he said.
"This is a serious problem because there are not enough trained teachers yet and we have trouble replacing those who are sick. For the government, it is only an easy economic measure, as trainee teachers will, of course, be paid much less. "
Compulsory schooling for 3 years
As part of the reform, the nursery school will become compulsory for all children from the age of three. Given that 98% of 3 year olds in France are already going to school, the law will not change much in terms of attendance. However, this means that private kindergartens that follow the French curriculum and are under contract will suddenly be allowed to receive state funding – another sore point for protesters.
"This measure will ensure that private schools receive a lot of money, because the Debre law, pbaded in 1959, stipulates that the government must pay the salaries of teachers and clbadroom badistants in private schools," said Carpy.
And SNUIPP estimates that the extra cost for cities already short of money, once the law Blanquer adopted, will reach 150 million euros per year. "Making kindergartens mandatory means that more private kindergartens will open their doors, asking for more funding from cities," says Popineau.
"The state says that it will compensate the cities, but the calculation has not been done. We are concerned that private schools will waste public school money because the budget will not be flexible enough – and we will see a deterioration in the quality of our public schools. "
Until now, opposition to the Blanquer law has resulted in street protests, outings of teachers and parents "occupying" schools – some having been forced to close completely after random events. dead school the days that teachers and students stay at home. The next call for national action by French unions is scheduled for May 9th.
Although concessions have been made to make yellow jackets – which complain about the lack of public services in rural areas – the government seems to want to push ahead with its education reforms, a sector that President Macron has placed at the heart of the economic transformation of France. Education, he says, is the "struggle of our century".
Popineau is categorical: strikes will continue until Blanquer intensifies his consultations with teachers and agrees to make sufficient concessions. "The government really needs to listen, hear and respond to school concerns," she says. "This law invents new problems without responding to existing difficulties, which are not resolved.
"Our schools rely heavily on highly motivated teachers who do everything to make things work – but unfortunately, they feel more and more alone."
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