The day after the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, the former Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal was appointed to replace her.
After a short stint at the Ministry of National Education where he was appointed in July 2023, Gabriel Attal continues his political rise. Although his stay was short, the new 34-year-old Prime Minister did not waste time on the Quai de Grenelle in making political announcements. He particularly stood out with the modification of the baccalaureate calendar by postponing the tests from March to June, as demanded by many unions and by tackling the problem of school harassment from the start of the school year in September with the announcement of a whole series of measures.
But Gabriel Attal left his position at the Ministry of Education before the implementation of these measures began. We also do not know if they are really maintained with the current schedule. Furthermore, his departure took place before he confronted questions deemed essential by teachers such as the attractiveness of the profession, overcrowded classes or even the question of replacement teachers. This departure can therefore be perceived by teachers as a lack of consideration on the part of the former minister – and the head of state – for whom the Ministry of National Education would have been only an ephemeral step. At the house of FranceinfoSophie Vénétitay, the general secretary of Snes-FSU, the first secondary school teaching union, notably denounced the “express passage” of a man “in a hurry, who used education as a political springboard.”
This Tuesday, January 9, during the transfer of power ceremony held in Matignon, Gabriel Attal began his speech by promising to take “the cause of ecoremanile with him”. He notably declared that the school “will be one of my absolute priorities in my action at the head of government.” For a moment, doubt hovered over the fact that Gabriel Attal could exercise both the function of Prime Minister and that of Minister of Education. However, even if such an alternative is possible, the Elysée has made it known that the new prime minister will not assume a dual role. Gabriel Attal will have to appoint a new Minister of National Education in the coming days when the new government is formed.