The new French Prime Minister says he will forge ahead with promised education reforms as three national teachers’ unions challenged his government to put quality education at the top of his agenda.
The Syndicat national des enseignements de second degré de la Fédération syndicale unitaire(SNES-FSU), the Syndicat national unitaire des instituteurs, professeurs des écoles et PEGC-FSU(SNUipp-FSU) and the Union nationale des syndicats autonomes-Education(UNSA-Education), all national Education International affiliates, have reminded newly appointed Prime Minister Manuel Valls and National Education Minister Benoît Hamon of the urgent need for quality education and training as well as good working and living conditions for teachers. SNES-FSU: invest now in education and teachers
In a letter dated 8 April addressed to Minister Hamon, the same day Prime Minister Valls made his general policy statement, Frédérique Rolet, SNES-FSU Co-General Secretary stated that “over the past few years, second stage education and orientation teachers have seen a continuous deterioration of their working and employment conditions, a significant devaluation of their salaries, a loss of purchasing power leading to a downgrading of their occupations, and the inability to peacefully carry out their profession working towards the success of all students.”
She also underlined the fact that the President's reaffirmed priority concerning young people will require a massive investment in national education as well as urgent action aimed at addressing the deep recruitment crisis in second stage education, and at rebuilding prioritised education which remains a powerful tool for the democratization of access to knowledge and qualifications, particularly for the most disadvantaged students.
Rolet stated that SNES-FSU will not accept any questioning of the commitment enshrined in legislation to create 54,000 jobs by 2017. She stressed that “The revaluation of the remuneration of second stage education personnel and the improvement of their working conditions are urgent needs which the previous government ignored. This revaluation must be carried out without delay.”
She noted that there has been a proliferation of conflicts in schools over the past few years due to personnel management and school governance methods based on a concept of autonomy which is in stark contrast to the democratic and human values which are the very cornerstones of non-denominational state school system. This is the reason underlying the SNES-FSU's request for the Minister to impose other second stage education establishment personnel management and governance methods, namely through a strong framing of the actions of Rectors in the academies whose policies still call the national character of Education into question.
“Discussions with your predecessor enabled several documents to be drafted on the future of educational guidance and its personnel, on the tasks of the Principal Educational Advisers and on the pay conditions for non-incumbents,” Rolet underlined. “SNES-FSU asks that you continue the discussions on the basis of the documents which still require improvement and on the category-specific measures for such personnel.”
SNUipp-FSU: an urgent call for preliminary clarifications
On 15 April, in an article posted on the union's website, SNUipp-FSU General Secretary Sébastien Sihr highlighted the urgent need for preliminary clarifications on the methods and the timetable in order to avoid them being lost in the shuffle.
“It is impossible to let everyone have their own interpretations of the Ministry's intentions regarding what might or might not be achievable in terms of organising the week and the day,” he revealed. “A mayor cannot be allowed to impose a new organisation on his own initiative, nor can he be allowed to unilaterally go back on a project which had been previously agreed.”
He also recalled that the Minister must ensure that the voice of national education is heard and that the latter is responsible of school timetables and remains the employer of teachers. “Up until now, matters have all too often been left to local communities, and that has to change,” explained Sihr.
SNUipp-FSU asked the Minister to present the method and the upcoming national concertation timetable without delay. Although it is important to preserve the projects which garner general agreement, it is essential to open discussion on matters where no agreement has been reached and with regard to which no projects have been presented. In this context, school councils are the place where concertation can be carried out and proposals can be made, and they must be convened according to a fixed timetable across the country, as of now.
SNUipp-FSU believes that a new regulatory framework defined at national level must also enable the strict framework of nine half-days to be overcome and must guarantee teachers' membership to school councils. The opportunity must be given to put forward new projects by reformulating proposals adapted to the new relaxed regulatory framework, the Minister having to make time for teachers. Additionally, weekly timetables which derogate from the nine half-days which have been standard for many years must be allowed to continue, and also be extended to other cities with teachers' approval.
UNSA-Education: continuing to bring the school system reform to its conclusion
UNSA-Education General Secretary and EI Executive Board member Laurent Escure welcomed in a press release dated 8 April the fact that “Prime Minister Manuel Valls recalled, in his general policy statement, the priority given to Education and young people as had previously been done by the President of the Republic on the day following the municipal elections”.
After paying tribute to teachers “who are to be cherished because they transmit knowledge and values”, the Prime Minister also announced his intention to pursue the reform, the reform of professions, the training of teachers, the priority to primary education, etc., Escure also noted.
“Continuing the reform is a good thing,” he admitted. “Bringing it to its conclusion is better! In order to achieve this, we will be paying attention to the means which enable the consistent implementation of this priority. The Prime Minister did not mention maintaining the aim to create 60,000 jobs in national education and in higher education. This summer's budget revision will have to give guarantees on this point which is an important mark of the President of the Republic's intentions.”
He also recalled the need to better align the pacing of educational development with children and young people’s own educational paces. This adaptation needs to be based on a comprehensive and collaborative approach to education. In his view, bettering the complementarity of timetables, actions and players in the field of education in and outside of schools must be central to the development of each territory's educational policies.
“Throughout the reform, UNSA-Education's meeting with the Minister for National Education will be an opportunity to put forward our requirement of seeing the reform brought to its conclusion,” stated Escure. “Both Republican social justice and our ambition for young people require it.”
EI: social dialogue to ensure quality state-run education
“EI supports its French affiliates in their struggle to ensure access for all students to quality state-run education,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “We encourage the French public authorities to pursue the dialogue with the associations representing teaching personnel, in order to ensure that the latter receive proper training and remuneration, and are able to perform their duties in quality working and teaching environments with quality working and teaching tools.”