At the microphone of Europe 1, Philippe Meirieu, honorary professor and researcher in Education Sciences explained what he expected from Emmanuel Macron's speech on Sunday evening. He hopes that the President of the Republic will defend the teaching staff, which he says is undergoing "prof-bashing", and will announce an accelerated reopening of the schools. 

INTERVIEW

Professors have been flanking since March 17 and the start of confinement? This is the idea suggested by certain political leaders for the past few days. Again this Sunday during the Grand Rendez-vous , the mayor of Meaux and former deputy Jean François Copé denounced teachers "of whom we had no news" during the crisis. Guest of the midday day newspaper of Europe 1, Philippe Meirieu, honorary professor and researcher in education sciences, calls him the President of the Republic "to put an end to the wave of prof-bashing". For the first time since April 13, Emmanuel Macron will address the French live from the Elysée Palace, Sunday evening at 8 p.m. 

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"What we hear about absent teachers is not representative"

For Philippe Meirieu "this wave of prof-bashing which we are witnessing in a certain number of media is completely unworthy". "What I hear said about these teachers who are absenteeists or flanks, does not seem to me representative of what happened in National Education", advance the honorary professor who also underlines that the Ministry management since the start of the crisis has been "somewhat erratic".

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"We know that volunteering widens the gaps"

In addition to the defense of the teaching staff, Emmanuel Macron must end volunteering on the resumption of school, argues Philippe Meirieu. "I would like the President of the Republic to recall that children who are enrolled in school have an obligation to be present in their establishments (...) we know that volunteering widens the gaps". But is it really useful to bring back the pupils, when the class councils have been made and the school year ends in less than a month? "For pupils with difficulties, this will make sense," replies the researcher in Education.

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"The school of the Republic, a school for learning together"

Philippe Meirieu argues that "it is the students who need school the most who go back the least (...) and that it is the role of National Education to pick up students on the edge path". But above all, going back to school is essential, since the children have been cut off from the world for three months. "The isolation of a certain number of children and that they lack this collective which makes the class is something which is lacking and which poses a real problem for their personal development", affirms the honorary professor. "The school of the Republic is not simply a school for learning, it is a school for learning together," he concludes.