The controversy rebounded. On Monday 15 January, the oppositions on the right and left demanded the resignation of the Minister of Education, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, guilty of "lies" about her children's schooling in private schools, according to revelations by the daily Libération.

Promoted last week to the Ministry of Education, the minister immediately had to justify the enrolment of her sons in a prestigious private school in Paris. The fault lies in "packages of hours that have not been seriously replaced", she explained. False, according to the newspaper Libération, which explains this choice by a desire to make the eldest of the siblings skip a class.

According to the newspaper, only Amélie Oudéa-Castéra's eldest son was briefly schooled in the public sector, in the small section of kindergarten. The newspaper reports a testimony of his teacher at the time, in 2009, in the public school Littré, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

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According to this testimony, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and her husband decided to send their son to the private school Stanislas, close to their home, because the Littré school had refused to allow their son to move early to the middle section, judging the student to be too small. And not because of an absence problem, according to this testimony.

"The Minister of National Education categorically denies the remarks reported by Libération," her entourage told AFP.

Rounds of criticism

Libération's information has triggered a salvo of criticism from several politicians, who are calling for the departure of the new Minister of Education, who is also in charge of sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"A lie that disqualifies her," said on franceinfo the coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard. "The lie is now added to the insult," said the secretary general of the Socialist Party, Pierre Jouvet, in a message on X. "The days go by and the lies are piling up," the head of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, also reacted on X, adding that "it is time to resign." Just like the Green MP Sandrine Rousseau, who wrote on the same social network: "We have to leave now, Madam".

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra began with contempt for teachers and national education staff. She added lies.

This lie disqualifies her. She cannot remain Minister of National Education. pic.twitter.com/Nl3mHMGDry

— Manuel Bompard (@mbompard) January 15, 2024

At the other end of the political spectrum, National Rally MP Julien Odoul also lashed out at those "ministers who blithely lie like Amélie Oudéa-Castéra", judging that she is already "discredited" and "that she should go". Her colleague Jean-Philippe Tanguy insisted on BFMTV and RMC: "If the minister has lied, I don't see how she can continue her public action."

Questioned, government spokeswoman Prisca Thévenot kicked in touch on France Inter: "I do not know if she lied, I simply say that she explained why her son was educated in the private sector." Just like the leader of the Renaissance deputies, Sylvain Maillard, saying on Sud Radio that Amélie Oudéa-Castéra "was very clear" in explaining "why she wanted to change" from the public to the private.

.@priscathevenot after the Amélie Oudéa-Castéra controversy: "We must continue to support teachers and work on the attractiveness of these professions; this is what was done with Gabriel Attal, and Pap Ndiaye and Jean-Michel Blanquer" #le710Inter pic.twitter.com/7KjsQR6tWp

— France Inter (@franceinter) January 15, 2024

"Double fault, Madam Minister! It's off to a very strong start!" commented Guislaine David, spokesperson for SNUipp-FSU, the main primary school union.

The minister is due to meet with the education unions from Monday. "I don't want to go any further into the realm of personal life and private life. There are attacks that I have tried to respond to with as much sincerity as possible. We must close this chapter of personal attacks and personal life," said Amélie Oudéa-Castéra at the end of a visit to the Olympic Village in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) alongside Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

With AFP

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