France...demonstrations to demand improvement in public school conditions

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Paris -

Thousands of teachers went out on Thursday in massive demonstrations in several French cities to send a “warning to the government” about the bad conditions in the education sector in the country, and to demand improvement in working conditions and salaries and to defend public schools.

In total, more than 40% of teachers in primary schools and 47% in secondary schools went on strike, according to data from the Snes-FSU, the main union for secondary education, while the Ministry of Education reported that the percentage did not exceed 21%.

In Paris, the protest march began from Luxembourg, located in the sixth arrondissement, towards the ministry’s headquarters at the invitation of the main teaching unions, and 65% of the capital’s teachers participated in the strike, causing the closure of 130 schools out of 638.

Elsewhere, at least 2,500 people demonstrated in Lyon, 1,600 in Marseille, and 2,300 in Rennes and Nantes, according to police figures, and the coming weeks are expected to witness other demonstrations in many cities.

French teacher: We are trying to save the government school that is under attack, especially from the ministry itself (Al Jazeera)

Constant problems

According to Matteo Moro, secretary of the CGT education union, the protests aim to further promote reforms to combat inequality among students and the growing bourgeois manifestations within society, which in turn affects the lives of students.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Moro said, “At a time when teachers are asking the government to create more employment opportunities and resources, President Emmanuel Macron’s government responds by requiring the implementation of uniforms, and we see this matter as a kind of ridiculous military service. They are going in a completely far-reaching direction.” about the deep problems that the sector suffers from.”

Another problem was added to teachers when former Education Minister (currently Prime Minister) Gabriel Attal announced the cancellation of 650 teaching jobs in public schools at the beginning of the 2024 academic year, which sparked a wave of criticism and questions that have not received convincing answers yet.

This coincides with the continued shortage of workers in the education sector, which last September received 12 million students in middle and secondary schools, with a number of teachers not exceeding 854,000 in the public and private sectors under contracts, both of which are affiliated with the Ministry of National Education.

It is expected that 328,000 teachers will retire by 2030, or more than a third of the current total, according to the Directorate of Research, Studies and Statistics (DARES).

The absence of teachers and the difficulty of replacing them in the classroom are among the main obstacles. Teacher Elodie, who began her teaching career in a primary school in the capital 5 years ago, said, “The director of the educational institution does not have the authority to compensate for absence, which is considered a natural right for any employee.”

She added, "The government must understand that we are not robots, but rather people with their own lives, and they have the right to receive respectable salaries and vacations without being subjected to any penalties or criticism."

The protests increased after the announcement of the cancellation of 650 teaching jobs in government schools at the beginning of the current academic year (Al Jazeera)

in danger

Romain Delaporte has been working in the teaching profession for 20 years in a school on the outskirts of Paris. He told Al Jazeera Net while participating in the protests, "We are trying to save the public school that is under attack from all sides, especially from the ministry itself and the government."

He pointed out that "the performance of public schools is very poor and deteriorating, and there is an urgent need to provide them with real support through positions and resources, as many buildings are threatened with ruin due to their age or failure to restore and repair them properly."

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, a trainer at a government training center affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Maris Angell, confirmed that French teachers are increasingly being subjected to mistreatment.

Regarding the field of agricultural education in particular, Angel said that officials prefer to provide support to private institutions, noting that the training center - in which she has been working for nearly 25 years - was without management for two years, which forced the trainers to organize the work themselves, “ These are disgusting and unacceptable working conditions.”

For her part, her colleague Claire expressed her annoyance at the funding given to private schools at the expense of public schools, saying, "Today we are experiencing an existential battle for the government sector, which is a matter of concern."

The French Teaching Union said that “the situation worsened by the appointment of a part-time minister and she lost her credibility” (Al Jazeera)

"Detached from reality"

The main teaching union in the country expresses that this mobilization represents a “warning to the government,” which “remains deaf” in the face of all remarks or denunciations made by those affected, adding - in a press statement - that “the situation has worsened with the appointment of a part-time minister who has lost her credibility.”

Minister Amelie O'Dea Castera, a former junior tennis champion, was given her list of duties at the Ministry of Education by former Minister Attal, as well as her sports portfolio a few months before the Paris Olympics.

It was not surprising that some protesters demanded Castera's resignation, especially after her controversial statements upon taking office, in which she justified transferring her children from a public school to the elite private Stanislaus School with "bundles of hours that are not seriously compensated."

Professor Delaporte believes that the minister is “completely detached from reality and prefers the private sector, and we did not expect much from her because her ministerial role is limited to implementing the policies of Attal and Macron only.”

During the Parisian demonstration, Al Jazeera Net met the French professor Jonathan, who shares the same concerns and demands with the rest, but he also came to express his solidarity with the Palestinian people, “especially my fellow Palestinian teachers who have been suffering from the Israeli attacks that have continued for 75 years, and which have doubled today in the Gaza Strip.” ".

Jonathan, a member of the “Education and Gaza” movement, pointed out that it is not possible today to talk about our problems here and at the same time accept “that Palestinian children, students, and our colleagues in the profession will be targeted by Israel.”

Source: Al Jazeera