A year after the death of Christine Renon in her school, "nothing has changed"

Tribute to Christine Renon, in Pantin on October 3, 2019. -

On Saturday September 21, 2019, Christine Renon, kindergarten director in Pantin, killed herself in her school by leaving a letter denouncing the deterioration of her working conditions.

Saturday, a march "against oblivion" must take place in his memory but a year after this "political act", "nothing has changed, it's even worse", deplore his colleagues.

The day after the discovery of the body of the 58-year-old teacher in the atrium of the Méhul school, Nathalie Ollivier, also a director in this popular city of Seine-Saint-Denis, “collapsed in tears” in opening his mail.

She was one of the first to receive the letter to the head of National Education sent by Christine Renon, on the day of her death, to the 25 school principals of Pantin and to the inspector.

Three pages detailing the "loneliness", "stress" and the accumulation of time-consuming administrative tasks that have resonated nationally.

Three alerts for "suffering at work"

“We all recognized each other,” recalls Nathalie Ollivier.

A year later, she left Pantin to become deputy head of a college.

“I love this job but I couldn't do it anymore,” she says.

After the suicide of Christine Renon, described by her colleagues as "solar" and "hyper-invested", thousands of teachers had demonstrated in several cities in France.

The Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer then promised to "change their status".

Despite the recognition of the responsibility of the administration in this suicide and a report which admitted dysfunctions in Pantin, the "measures" promised by the minister are long overdue.

Last June, in "burn-out" after the chaotic management of the health crisis, three directors of Pantin sent to their hierarchy an "alert sheet" for suffering at work.

“At the end of the year, directors were crying every day,” says one of them.

A lack of "institutional recognition"

“We hoped it would move.

But nothing has changed, we have even loaded the mule: we have just added an application with data to be transmitted for the Covid, ”blows Sandrine Delmas, who works more than 50 hours per week.

At 54, director at Pantin for nearly twenty years, she also "loves her job" but confides "questioning herself on the idea of ​​continuing or not".

“We will be given a bonus of 400 euros but what we want is institutional recognition.

Today, we do not have the status of executive while we have responsibilities and missions similar to secondary management staff, ”she explains.

She sees her colleague's terrible gesture as "a political act, conscious or not".

“Even if nothing beats giving up her life, she sacrificed herself for us, so we must continue the fight,” she said.

" I'm lost "

After his death, the directors set up a Whatsapp group.

To be able to say "I do not know what to do, I am lost", describes his colleague Thomas Bobillot, "in our offices, we are alone in front of children in difficulty and difficult parents".

And facing teachers to support.

Seine-Saint-Denis, which accumulates difficulties, is also the department with the highest proportion of contract workers (untrained) and beginners.

Thomas Bobillot remembers the last meeting where he was sitting next to Christine.

"The inspector enumerated the new administrative tasks and she said" there is enough of it ".

"Nothing has changed in the burden weighing on school directors," notes one of them, Christian Fagny.

Director for twenty-nine years, he deplores the elimination of the administrative assistance which he previously benefited from to manage his school of 365 pupils, classified in REP (Priority Education Network).

"With the Covid, we are in the 6th or 7th health protocol, we don't even count anymore".

He hopes for negotiations which should open "a clear improvement of the function by reducing administrative tasks".

One year from retirement, he worries: "we will soon have trouble finding directors".

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