- The government has announced a return to normal in schools and colleges starting next Monday.
- But the teaching teams doubt that all the pupils will be able to return, because of the rule of one meter distance between them that the establishments will have to respect.
- Difficult also to bring back the dropout students and those who left far from home.
There are government orders and there is the reality on the ground. And they don't always mix. Emmanuel Macron announced this Sunday that schools and colleges would welcome from June 22 "all students on a mandatory basis and according to normal attendance rules". To do this, the government will lighten the health rules currently in force in schools and colleges which impose a space of 4 m2 per student. This Monday, Jean-Michel Blanquer clarified this change on Europe 1: "The fundamental relief will be that of physical distance ,which required making small groups of 15 students and will now be less restrictive ”. It will only be necessary to respect a distance of “one side meter between each student”. This “much more flexible” system should make it possible to accommodate “all students”, according to Jean-Michel Blanquer.
New guidelines that school principals and principals will have to set to music in a few days: "They are a bit on edge because it takes a lot of time to rearrange the premises and timetables," comments Philippe Vincent, secretary General of the National Union of Management Personnel of National Education (SNPDEN-Unsa). “This is the third reorganization in secondary school since the deconfinement, it is starting to be heavy for the teams. Especially since certain injunctions are contradictory, ”also believes Sophie Vénétitay, SNES-FSU national secretary.
"We all took our meters and it does not pass"
In the field, there is also doubt about the feasibility of the measure. “We did our own calculations. And in a classroom at the college, you can put between 20 and 24 students respecting the distance of one meter, not 28 or 30. We are caught between government declarations and practical considerations, "says Philippe Vincent . Same story with Sophie Vénétitay: “We all took our meters and it is not going well. The most likely assumption is that students can be accommodated in half-group rotation, ”she says. Which, according to Philippe Vincent, could lead school heads "to continue working remotely for some of the students". Gérard Pommier, president of the Federation of Parents of Pupils in Public Education (PEEP), favors a less ambitious hypothesis than that of the government: "These new rules will encourage the return of more students, but not of all because the constraints are still too strong ”.
In the entourage of the Minister, we recognize in half-words that 100% of the students will not be able to follow 100% of the courses: "There will probably remain some places where all the students will not be able to hold" in the class because of the small premises, we admit. The new health protocol, which will be published Tuesday or Wednesday after consultation with union organizations on Monday, will provide details on how this massive comeback of students will be organized.
Not all students will come back
Another doubt of the educational community: if Emmanuel Macron mentioned the return to compulsory class of students, will it really be possible to force them all to return after three months of absence? Gérard Pommier ticks: “Some parents got organized for the end of the year. Their children have stayed in a second home or with a loved one, they will not be able to reorganize in a week, "he believes. Especially since some parents do not see the point: "For them, the school year is over and they have not understood the meaning of this resumption for two weeks. They have already told us that they will not bring them back, ”reports Sophie Vénétitay. Absences which will be reported to them by school principals and college principals, but who are unlikely to be penalized. “We will have to be kind to families. Because if education is compulsory, attendance at school is not, ”says Gérard Pommier. In addition, some students who are physically vulnerable or whose parents have weaknesses will probably not take the risk of coming back to class for such a short time.
With yesterday's announcements, the government also wants to bring dropouts back to class. But not sure he can do it. "The link with school can break quickly for these students, but it takes a long time to reweave," believes Gérard Pommier. But the teachers do not throw in the towel so far: "We called them a lot during confinement and we will continue to do so," promises Sophie Vénétitay. To hang them up, Philippe Vincent rather counts on the start of the school year: "For that, we will ask for additional means to organize support courses in particular," he said. The likelihood that some teachers are missing is also very real. "We know that some are physically at risk, even if it is only a very small minority," says Philippe Vincent. Which suggests a few holes in the timetables ...
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