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Layla Ben Chikh (Teacher)
While the new Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet, maintains the creation of level groups in middle school for students, in maths and French from the start of the school year 2024, the unions are up in arms against the measure. Doctissimo gave the floor to Layla Ben Chikh, member of the Education and pedagogy commission of the majority union SNPDEN-Unsa
This is a measure that does not pass. Proposed by Gabriel Attal when he was Minister of National Education and now supported by Nicole Belloubet, the creation of level groups for middle school students, in mathematics and French, continues to mobilize the unions.
“We are more than reluctant, we are completely opposed to this idea of level groups. I would even say that the unions are up against this reform” confirms Layla Ben Chikh, member of the Education and pedagogy commission of the majority union SNPDEN-Unsa.
Groups, to raise the level of students
The latest Pisa survey showed that the level of French students was in free fall, particularly in mathematics. To counter this, the government has imagined the establishment of level groups, for middle school students, from the next school year.
Based on the results of the sixth grade entry assessments, groups would be formed, bringing together students with “needs”, at “low to average” level and those with “satisfactory and above” results for French and mathematics. , the other subjects being taught as a whole class. For Layla Ben Chikh, a first problem arises.
“How can we form groups from the start of the school year, when evaluations only take place at the end of September?” she asks. “Not to mention the fact that teachers of maths and French, who are often head teachers, will never have to deal with their class entirely, which makes it difficult to monitor students” she notes.
“School must be a place of diversity, both social and academic”
For the trade unionist, the school is based on the Republican pact, which must ensure social and academic diversity. “School must be a lever that allows everyone to succeed, through the group, in mutual aid. Dividing students into level groups amounts to calling into question the single college and creating a two-tier college.. Is working in small groups also rejected by teachers?
“No way” bounces Layla Ben Chikh. “On the contrary, one of our demands is to allocate more resources, so that teachers can be called upon to help students, in small groups.. This is also one of the points of tension for the trade unionist. “We are seriously lacking mathematics and French teachers, where are we going to find the teachers needed to implement this reform?” So many questions that remain, for the moment, unanswered.