“During his recent visit to Brittany, Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister of National Education spoke about his ministry’s policy regarding the languages of Brittany.
We do not doubt his attachment to our languages and we have heard his cry: “Long live Breton!” “. However, if we can only congratulate ourselves on a real increase in teaching posts in primary education this year, we can only be worried about the drop in enrollment observed in the bilingual sectors of high schools. By asking students to specialize at 16, in first class, that is to say to choose a profession, Breton is put in direct competition with other specialties: mathematics, science, French, history and geography. and modern foreign languages …
The choice therefore becomes difficult at first
This is where the problem lies. It is not possible to take two languages as a specialty. In short, it’s Breton or German, it’s Breton or Spanish. For bilingual pupils since kindergarten who have acquired an ease in learning languages, this exclusion of a modern language is a tragedy.
The choice therefore becomes difficult for parents who are sensitive to the sirens of dominant models. And yet a specialization in Breton means guaranteed work in Brittany where the need for bilingual French-Breton personnel is important and corresponds to a strong social demand.
For the same coefficients as the ancient languages
The choice of the Breton option also has the advantage of being able to be valued at the university. But the reform of Jean-Michel Blanquer presents a second stumbling block, namely the underestimation of the bac test.
This is why the teachers’ associations ask that the coefficients of the regional languages be at the same level as the old languages, which would be the least of things.
As a result of this reform, a quarter of students in second year streams abandon this bilingualism that they practice from kindergarten and which is no longer valued until the end of secondary studies. Years of teaching were swept away with a stroke of the pen, by an unsuccessful reform that did not anticipate the consequences for regional languages despite the intervention of teachers’ unions and political figures of all stripes. .
Long live our magnificent culture!
The Minister of National Education recently regretted, in Brest, this state of affairs. The Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, is not left out, in the portrait she makes of her Breton grandmother in her book, Corentine: It is with indignation that I see the contempt with which France considered its Breton children to be backward, when they were steeped in a magnificent culture ”.
Long live the Breton! Long live our magnificent culture! So at the highest level! But let the actions join the word! However, despite the outcry of all the representatives of regional languages in all regions of France concerned for two years, Jean-Michel Blanquer has not budged an inch.
The recourse to the CNED (distance learning), belatedly proposed in this month of December 2020, by the Minister cannot effectively replace face-to-face teaching and the joint work of high school students in a class.
In addition, the subtle policy of weakening the teaching of regional languages in high schools must dispel an ambiguity: the CNED courses are paying, will they be for Breton?
For recognition of linguistic diversity
We can therefore legitimately wonder about the contradiction between a priori positive statements, reinforcement by the creation of posts in primary school and an ambiguous policy concerning high schools, which seriously impacts all regional languages.
The best illustration of the Minister’s interest in our languages and for genuine recognition of linguistic diversity in France would be to take into account, in the new State-Region convention on the languages of Brittany, currently under discussion, the proposals made by the Regional Council of Brittany and strongly supported by the Cultural Council of Brittany.
Our languages need a real Marshall Plan, that is to say substantial resources, accompanying a long-term policy, clearly affirmed by our governments. “
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