A teacher in front of a school in Lyon in November.

-

KONRAD K./SIPA

  • Some teachers' unions believe that the government has not taken sufficient measures in schools to deal with the worsening health situation.

  • To date, only 10,000 tests have been carried out on a voluntary basis in high schools of around ten academies since the end of November.

  • And the teachers' vaccination campaign is postponed to April.

There is no question of closing schools like in Great Britain to fight against the coronavirus epidemic, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Thursday during his press conference.

However, concern hovers in schools, a person having tested positive for the British variant of the coronavirus in a nursery school in Bagneux (Hauts-de-Seine), where a screening campaign has been launched.

In addition, teachers fear an increase in Covid-19 cases in the coming days, due to the greater mixing of the population during the end of the year holidays.

For the time being, the figures communicated by the National Education Friday do not show an outbreak of positive cases: 1,948 among students and 348 among teachers over the last four days.

"But these figures are underestimated because they relate only to the cases declared by the main interested parties", notes Stéphane Crochet, secretary general of Se-Unsa.

"We are late for the tests"

It is first of all the testing policy that is criticized by some teachers.

According to the Ministry of National Education, contacted by

20 Minutes,

“10,000 antigen tests have been carried out on a voluntary basis in high schools, in ten academies * since the end of November.

And 1.2 million are already available ”.

Figures deemed too low by Sophie Vénétitay, Deputy Secretary General of SNES-FSU.

" We are late.

The announcements of massive screening at the end of the year were not followed up and no particular efforts were noted during this first week of recovery ”.

If the screenings were not carried out on a large scale, it is first of all because of a lack of human resources.

According to the Ministry of National Education, 2,000 doctors and nurses have been trained to carry out tests.

Even if they are supported by the medical personnel deployed by the ARS, their number seems insufficient: "We are already overwhelmed and we move to several establishments", indicates Dr Claudine Némausaut, general secretary of SNMSU-UNSA Education, first union school doctors.

"Very few students volunteer because they are afraid of hurting"

Dr Claudine Némausaut also mentions logistical problems.

“We don't have computer enclosures to quickly capture test results on the server.

We have to go through the Internet and fill out a 4-page document, which takes time ”.

“And it is still necessary that the tests be distributed to the right places to be able to be drawn quickly,” adds Stéphane Crochet.

For Sophie Vénétitay, the students were not made enough aware of the value of these tests: “Very few students volunteer because they are afraid of hurting.

We did not know how to communicate well to them on the way they were going and the importance for those around them to have results.

It would also be necessary to quickly deploy saliva tests, which would be easier to perform and would offer rapid results, ”she believes.

According to those around Jean-Michel Blanquer, from Monday, when three positive cases are identified in an establishment, a testing campaign will be organized.

Which could speed up the pace.

Especially since Jean Castex declared on Thursday his desire to strengthen epidemiological surveillance in schools.

The canteen, "weak link in establishments"

Another subject of tension between teachers and the government: the vaccination of National Education staff.

“Initially, it was scheduled to start in March.

But on Thursday, the minister's entourage told us that it would rather be April.

It seems very late to us, whereas it is the most reliable way to avoid the closure of establishments if cases soar, ”said Sophie Vénétitay.

“Of course, teachers are no more priority than cashiers, who meet a lot of people, but we should speed up the pace for all,” adds Stéphane Crochet.

And Jean Castex reaffirmed it Thursday: the health protocol will not be strengthened in schools.

What ruffles the hair of teachers, especially when they talk about the canteen. "It is the weak link of the establishments concerning the fight against the epidemic", recognizes Dr. Claudine Némausaut.

“Since September, we have been suggesting that the students can be dispatched to other places in addition to the refectories to be fewer around a table.

We also mentioned the possibility of packed lunches that the students could take at their desks or in the yard, in order to avoid mixing.

But none of these measures have been adopted, ”emphasizes Sophie Vénétitay.

“The entourage of Jean-Michel Blanquer told us Thursday that he was working on a reorganization of school catering in the event of a bad evolution of the epidemic.

But it should have been done months ago, ”says Stéphane Crochet.

As for the possibility of imposing a gauge of 50% of students maximum for all colleges (courses are now mostly face-to-face), if the ministry has not ruled out, it is not more news.

What some teachers also regret.

* The tests were carried out in the academies of Aix-Marseille, Besançon, Bordeaux, Créteil, Grenoble, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Normandy, Paris, Toulouse, Versailles.

Society

Coronavirus: The British variant of the virus detected in "two risk clusters" in Brittany and Ile-de-France

France

Overweight, inequalities, overcrowded classes… PE teachers worry about the health of their students

  • Covid 19

  • Health

  • school

  • Education

  • Coronavirus

  • Society