Bac: the spectre of the strike against pensions hovers over the specialty tests

Europe 1 with AFP 09:20, March 18, 2023

The Minister of Education will mobilize "additional supervisors" during the baccalaureate exams at the beginning of the week, he said Friday evening, amid rising calls from teacher unions to continue mobilizing against the pension reform.

A strike notice filed by the unions

"Additional supervisors are mobilized," said the rue de Grenelle in a statement published three days before the holding of the specialty tests, which will take place from Monday to Wednesday. "In case of delay of candidates due to transport strikes, adjustments of the test time will be organized so that they can benefit from the full duration of the tests," he added, a measure already announced this week.

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But the use of 49.3 to push through the much-contested pension reform has increased the anger of teachers' unions and could incite more staff to strike. In a statement Friday evening, several teachers' unions recall that they have filed a strike notice that covers the period of specialty tests.

"In the event that the government has not withdrawn its pension reform project, (the unions) call on all colleagues to decide on the continuation of the action and to continue the mobilization during the specialty tests, including by striking surveillance where possible," say several organizations, including the Snes-FSU (first union in high school). Sud Éducation, Fnec-FP FO and CGT Educ'action. The unions attached to the CFDT or Unsa are not signatories.

"Provisions" put in place "to allow candidates access to examination centres"

The Ministry of Education specifies that "in case of difficulties, the necessary arrangements will be made to allow candidates access to examination centers in connection with the prefectures of department". As for the copies, "all digitized", they "will benefit from a follow-up throughout the correction process". On Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday, 536,081 candidates (390,710 in general track and 145,371 in technological track) will each work on two tests, which together account for a third of the results of the bac, calculated on 100 points.

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In addition to the pension reform, the teachers' unions are protesting against the holding of specialty tests from March, believing that these tests can therefore only cover part of the curriculum. The Terminale calendar is constrained because the grades of the specialty tests must be taken into account for the first time by the platform for access to higher education, Parcoursup, which delivers its first answers to the wishes of high school students at the beginning of June.