Delphine Schiltz and Louise Sallé, edited by Gauthier Delomez, with AFP 8:16 p.m., November 14, 2022

Mathematics is making a big comeback in high school, in first grades from the start of the next school year.

A return expected by some students, feared by others, and which poses organizational problems for school heads.

You have to figure out how to fit an hour and a half of teaching into a busy schedule.

Reverse all high school math.

The subject becomes compulsory again in first class in the general stream from the start of the next school year.

This means that currently, second year students are the first to be affected by this decision taken this weekend by the Ministry of National Education.

"I'm quite happy because I like math, but I don't think it's going to please the others", reacts one of them at the microphone of Europe 1.

“It allows you to diversify the materials”

"There are people who have difficulties, it will be complicated for them", he continues.

“Me, I will have to work a lot more”, concedes another student.

"I'm not bad but I don't work at all so I can't do this without working."

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One of his comrades recognizes that "personally, I intended to do something more in the literary field, so I was not necessarily super happy when I heard the news".

She tempers: "Afterwards, I find it good to have a minimum of math in the common core, especially since I'm not yet sure what I want to do. It allows me to diversify the subjects a little", recognizes -she.

An hour and a half to squeeze into a busy schedule

If some of them are a little drunk, the others are not so reluctant to return to mathematics.

A return that will take on the appearance of a headache for the heads of establishments since this hour and a half is added to the two hours of scientific teaching of the common core.

But, this will not happen for everyone.

Are concerned only the first who have not chosen maths as a specialty.

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For these students, this extra hour and a half is to fit into a busy week.

"For us, it should be in the common core for everyone, including for students who follow mathematics specialty education", says Stéphane Crochet, general secretary of the SE-Unsa union at the microphone of Europe 1, underlining " questions of constraints and the organization of timetables".

The fear of "punitive mathematics"

“We fear that common core math, but only for some, will end up giving the image of punitive math for those who have the least ease and appetite,” adds the trade unionist.

For this return to math, we also need teachers.

The addition of an hour and a half in premiere next year represents nearly 400 full-time equivalents.

However, Minister Pap Ndiaye reassures about the presence of resources.

Last question: what about the program?

It should be rather concrete math, applied to science, economics or geography.

Nothing is quite precise at this moment, and that's what annoys math teachers a lot.

They have seen their program modified almost every year since the beginning of the reform.

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"Very worrying" situation for maths in France, warns the CNRS

This Monday, following the announcement of the return of the material in first, the president of the CNRS Antoine Petit considered "very worrying" the situation of mathematics in France.

"The situation is very worrying and will be catastrophic if we do nothing," said Antoine Petit, mentioning the insufficient level of French students in the international Pisa survey and the shortage of teachers in this subject.

The National Institute of Mathematical Sciences and their Interactions (INSMI), which depends on the CNRS, reported last week an "8% drop in the number of teacher-researchers in mathematics since the year 2020".