The list goes on and on. A class here, a school there. The closures are linked in recent days, leaving doubt. More than 80 schools and 2,000 classes have closed doors. Almost no department seems to escape it, not even those spared by the new restrictive measures. Last week, the number of infected students thus reached a new milestone in France, passing the 15,000 mark, according to national education figures, against 9,200 a week earlier. A source of concern for vulnerable parents. “In my son’s fourth grade class, there are two confirmed cases of Covid and 14 contact cases. I am very worried, especially as my health is fragile, I am immunocompromised ”, explains Anne, who lives in Vincennes (Val-de-Marne).
“Why are we not doing anything? “
Have schools become potential sources of contamination? Not really, according to the government. The Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, trumpets on all levels “That we are less infected in schools than in the rest of society”. For him, contaminations in children mainly take place ” with family ” and not at school. The Prime Minister praises French pride: that which consists in having kept schools open. “Open schools are our hallmark. This is what we will close last. I invite you to claim it! “ he launched to the deputies, Tuesday March 23, as to mark the difference with Germany and the United Kingdom, in particular. The teachers deplore the “Binary debate” in which is ” shut in “ The Minister. “For Jean-Michel Blanquer, either we open schools completely or we close them. There is no middle ground. But there are a whole bunch of intermediate levels to work on ”, deplores Sophie Vénétitay, of Snes-FSU, the main union of secondary teachers.
“Why are we not doing anything? protests Nicolas Glière, professor of French and member of the movement of the red pens. In the field, there is no respect for distance, my students are 40 centimeters from each other. “ He talks about “Incompetence”, of “Lies” and of “Contempt”, coming from the highest level of the state. “Since June 2020, we have been asking that half-groups be set up. And to relieve working parents, it is proposed that town halls open municipal halls to accommodate half of the students ”, he continues.
“The key: hire massively”
There is no lack of solutions, but they still have to be put in place, and with the means. This is where things get complicated. “In some schools, when a teacher is tested positive, the students are divided into other classes. There is a lack of replacements, classes are overcrowded “, points out Guislaine David, spokesperson for Snuipp-FSU, the majority union in primary education. She advocates “Install CO sensors2 and air purifiers when distancing cannot be ensured ”. For Rodrigo Arenas, co-president of the FCPE, the main federation of parents of students, “Schools are idling for lack of sufficient human and material resources. This reinforces inequalities, the key is to hire massively ”.
In an attempt to curb the epidemic, saliva tests were launched in primary schools on February 22, allowing, in theory, to screen students on a large scale. But, a month later, it is clear that the device is not up to the task. “We are far from the 300,000 tests announced per week. Priority must be given to the areas where the virus circulates the most ”, suggests Guislaine David. Colleges and high schools have favored nasopharyngeal tests, with “Very weak tests, not necessarily well accepted”, says Sophie Vénétitay. However, “It is urgent to test if we want to break the chains of contamination”. Vaccination of educational personnel is eagerly awaited. Promised by Emmanuel Macron by mid-April, it should allow teachers to teach in more or less normal conditions.
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