Twelve million students returned to school, college or high school on Thursday. At the maneuver this time at the ministry: Pap Ndiaye, who replaced Jean-Michel Blanquer rue de Grenelle in May 2022. The new minister must manage a resumption of classes in an unprecedented context: shortage of teachers, crisis of vocations, great suffering of the educational community… There are many projects.
The start of the school year in France, on September 1, 2022, is also that of a new minister, Pap Ndiaye. A recognized intellectual, his appointment had surprised everyone, but had been rather well received by the teachers. They speak of an attentive minister who listens. The profile of Pap Ndiaye contrasts with that of his predecessor.
Pap Ndiaye, a historian specializing in the social history of the United States and minorities, is neither a politician nor a senior civil servant. He is more accustomed to the benches of the Grandes Ecoles than to the ministerial spans.
The teachers felt scorned during the mandate of Jean-Michel Blanquer. They accused the former minister of making decisions and implementing reforms in an authoritarian manner without taking their opinion into account.
The Minister of National Education will therefore have the task of renewing the dialogue with teachers. But if the teachers appreciate the change in style and tone, they expect strong actions from a minister who has been very discreet until now. They don’t want to settle for symbols.
An unprecedented teacher shortage
In France, there is a lack of teachers in several subjects. More than 4,000 vacancies in teacher competitions have not been filled this year, according to the French Ministry of Education.
So, should we believe Pap Ndiaye when he says that there will be ” a teacher in front of each class »? It may be a little early to answer, but it will be thanks to recourse to contract teachers, did not pass a competition.
They are recruited at bac +3 instead of bac +5 and they have been offered an express four-day training. Of all the 850,000 teachers, they represent almost 10% of middle and high school teachers. The unions protest against the method. They insist: teaching is a profession.
“ We will certainly have adults in the classes, sometimes substitutes will be used in place of teachers, and sometimes contract workers will be hired, but without training to teach “, ironically Guylaine David, general secretary of Snuipp, primary school union.
The contract workers are recruited at a license level, they have not received any training… They do not have the skills required to teach, they will have to improvise and train themselves.
Guylaine David, general secretary of Snuipp
The Minister of National Education Pap Ndiaye replies that of all the contract workers, some had already been there for several years. This is the case of Riley Boomer Ludwig. At thirty, he has been on contract for six years in a college in the Paris suburbs. He has experience in a subject, English, where there is a shortage of teachers, but the rectorate of the Créteil academy has not assigned him an assignment.
It’s back to school and like many other contract workers, I’m on the sidelines, I don’t have a job, I don’t know who I’m going to teach, when I’m going to teach, where I’m going to teach… I can’t prepare lessons for completely hypothetical classes.
Riley Boomer, contract teacher
Teachers should be better paid
This use of contract workers to fill positions not filled by competitive examinations testifies to a lack of attractiveness for the teaching profession. Wage increase is one of the main demands.
In the 1980s, a junior teacher earned twice the minimum wage. Today, he barely receives more than the minimum wage. Purchasing power has deteriorated considerably. The Minister of National Education promises an increase of 2,000 euros net for a new teacher, effective at the start of the 2023 school year. The basic salary of a new teacher is around 1,450 euros today.
Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of Snes, the main secondary school union, does not mince words. “ It’s a good thing, but it’s not enough “, she reacts. “ All salaries must be increased. It wouldn’t be fair if a new teacher earned the same as someone who has been practicing for ten or fifteen years. »
Upgrading is the number 1 objective of this new school year and the upgrading of all professionals, beginners but also all the rest of their careers, and without compensation.
Sophie Venetitay, Snes
According to the OECD, the salaries of French teachers at the start of their careers are in fact 7% lower than the average for countries in the euro zone, with 29,400 euros gross per year. In comparison, young German teachers earn more than double, with 62,300 euros gross annually.
But the increase in wages will not be enough, we must also rethink working conditions, such as, for example, reducing the number of people in classes.
Fix the school
The French school is doing badly. After two years of health crisis, one in four students does not have the level expected in 3ᵉ class. It is sometimes described as a machine for reproducing social inequalities. The Minister says it himself, the school is unfair to the poor “.
The international PISA studies, which draw up an inventory of the educational systems of OECD countries, show that France is one of the countries where the social origin of a pupil weighs the most on his or her educational destiny, and has been for several decades.
Pap Ndiaye assures that there needs to be more diversity at school and that the school map must therefore be reviewed. This system affects students in schools and is organized according to several criteria, including in particular the child’s home address. The issue of promoting establishments located in underprivileged neighborhoods is a priority for his ministry.