In response to the attacks that plunged France into mourning and reflection, the country’s education minister met with education unions, as well as parents and students, to identify the best ways of re-establishing shared values.
In the days following this month’s attacks, teachers have found it difficult to raise the events, and social issues surrounding them, in their classrooms. In some cases, attempts to spark discussion were met with resistance and anger, while the refusal of students to mark a moment of silence for the victims has given rise to questions of values across France.
To tackle what many have viewed as a country-wide cultural divide, French Minister of Education Najat Vallaud-Belkacem assembled the country’s education unions on 12 Jan. to consult them on the state of values in France.
Ms. Vallaud-Belkacem stressed that she understood the difficulty teachers faced in “managing emotions in the face of the unspeakable,” and called on education officers to “mobilise” to respond to the needs of education staff. The minister also made on-line teaching tools available to be used to reflect and debate with students, and to organise workshops, with assistance, on the freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
UNSA-Education: promote freedom of speech
Laurent Escure, General Secretary of UNSA-Education and a member of Education International’s (EI) Executive Board, said that combating tragic events of this kind was “the responsibility of us all.”
Escure emphasised that it is “vital to liberate speech,” and that all children should “know and understand that the schools of the [France] are open to them.” He reiterated that the aim of the education system was to create “responsible, independent citizens, capable of critical thinking, capable of living in complete tolerance,” because the freedom of conscience and the freedom to believe or not believe is “an absolute right that underpins French society.”
According to UNSA Education, it is essential to take action in specific schools by providing assistance to teachers who need guidance in delving into the subject. Over the long-term, the trade union suggests setting up an information base, with resources accessible on-line, and using specific opportunities such as Press Week, to explain and reassert French values, the validity of “co-existence” and of democracy.
SNES-FSU: enhance teacher resources to spread social diversity
Frédérique Rolet, Co-General Secretary and spokesperson of the SNES-FSU, also welcomed the Minister’s message of support with many teachers looking for a way forward. She insisted that it is important for schools to work daily on tolerance, on “co-existence” and on developing critical thinking.
Rolet believes that there must be an emphasis on social diversity and on the diversity of the population, ensuring that the poorest, and those with social and learning difficulties, are not concentrated together in the same schools. In order to do it “we must look at those places where it is difficult to instil respect for the values of equality, liberty and secularism, draw up a list, carry out an assessment, and provide support with resource persons whom the teachers can call on,” she suggested.
SNUipp-FSU: get to the heart of social issues
Sébastien Sihr of the SNUipp-FSU believes that the attacks could lead to “a reassertion of the importance of school, of basic values, reaffirming our greatest priority, namely the prime importance of education.” But he also agrees that teachers should not have to do this on their own and is pushing for increased training and support.
According to Sihr, action is needed to tackle the environment that students grow up in and the living conditions of many families who live in the most problematic areas, often without access to sustainable jobs, health care, or decent housing. “It would be too easy to focus only on educational issues or on security; that is important of course, but we also have to tackle the social issues.”
SGEN-CFDT: stronger public policies needed to support teachers
For Frédéric Sève, the General Secretary of the SGEN-CFDT, “no magic [educational] resource” exists to combat the cruelty of the attacks.
Instead, he presented a set of proposals on behalf of his union focused on a long-term approach. Of the ideas proposed, Sève wants to develop partnerships with other public services to help mentor students, and their families, who may be susceptible to radicalisation; produce projects and events that promote co-existence, such as a day of debates in schools during Press Week in March.
He also wants to see civic and moral education, or CME, become more than just a simple subject for education, disconnected from daily life and the reality experienced by young people, by developing “service learning” initiatives and practicing democracy and respect as part of school life.
However, Sève reminded the minister that despite the work done by schools, improved city policies are needed to put an end to ghettoization and social or ethnic exclusion.
Fep-CFD: public and private schools are concerned
The rally called for by the Minister to stand up for the values of the Republic and the principle of co-existence « must involve all educational establishments, public and private, without exception » stressed the General Secretary of the Fédération de la Formation et de l’Enseignement Privés-CFDT, Bruno Lamour.
He emphasised that « private schools under contract are also concerned and would be making a serious mistake if they allowed future initiatives to stop at the door of certain establishments ». The Fep-CFDT will therefore call on the whole « private network » to take part, notably those of different religious denominations, so that this « national momentum » is carried through to the private establishments under contract as well.
For now, the discussions between the unions and the ministry of education remain just that with no timeframe set to implement new poliices. Until any decisions are made, it will be up to the unions, schools, and individual teachers to find the best ways of educating the hard reality of last week's attacks to students.