the Court of Auditors pleads for an effort by the educational institution – Release

If the teachers are absent mainly for health reasons, the “wise men” of the rue Cambon judge that “too many absences linked to the organization of the public service itself amputate the schedules of the pupils”, in a report published this Thursday.–

On the one hand, parents of students who complain about teachers supposedly absent all the time, on the other, teachers struck by the image of a slacker in pursuit of them. Between the two, a report by the Court of Auditors on “Management of teachers’ absences” published this Thursday, which notes that “The assessment of teachers’ absences is a delicate question because the statistical measurement and the perception of it by the pupils and their families do not exactly coincide”.

Over nearly 100 pages, the “wise men” of rue Cambon detail the reasons for the absence of teachers, the difficulties of replacements, the cost generated by these situations and formulate recommendations. Overview of the main lessons.

Are teachers often absent?

In 2019, 2.6% of teachers were absent “At least one day in a week”, against 3.2% among other trades in the state civil service. This is much less than in the territorial public service (5.1%) or hospital (4.6%), the private sector (3.9%) or the entire world of work (4.9%).

The figures are confirmed over the period 2014-2019: teachers were less absent (2.8%) than state officials (2.9%), local or hospital officials (4.7%), employees private (3.8%) “Or that the whole world of work”. Nevertheless, “Absences of less than seven days are more frequent among them than among other civil servants.”

Why are they away?

Most of the absences – in terms of frequency and not duration – are due to ordinary sick leave (36.6%), followed by continuing education (19.4%) and childcare for sick children (11, 9%).

During the year 2018-2019, 45% of teachers in the public were absent for health reasons. Given their proximity to the youngest, “Teachers are more prone than other public officials to certain communicable diseases (influenza, gastroenteritis)”, writes the Court of Auditors, but also “To locomotor problems or musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)”. They are also affected by “Hearing problems due to noise pollution from teaching premises” : tinnitus, noise intolerance or even hyperacusis. 20% of sick leaves are caused by voice disorders.

The report also highlights the importance of “Psychological risks” related “The rise of disrespectful behavior, incivility, even verbal or physical aggression”. We see more absences for health reasons among teachers in priority education, that is to say in the most difficult establishments (49% in the first degree, 51.7% in the second).

The Court of Auditors also judges that “Too many absences linked to the organization of the public service itself cut the schedules of the pupils” and find that“A fraction of the activity [des enseignants], because it is exercised outside the classroom, is unfairly equated with an absence ”.

Are the replacements up to the needs?

Teachers have long been warning about the lack of replacements, and more consistently since the start of the pandemic. The Court of Auditors agrees with them: it reports that in 2018 only 20.91% of the 2,482,815 hours of absence were replaced in secondary education. In college and high school, only absences exceeding fifteen days must be replaced, and this is effective in 96% of cases. 80% of the “lost” hours are therefore due to absences of less than two weeks. The Court of Auditors estimates that a non-negligible part (between 20% and 40%) of short-term replacement needs in secondary education are the result of institutional absences, that is to say due to training continuous examination, examination boards, etc. In other words, to foreseeable events and for which the National Education itself is responsible.

In the first degree, the replacement must be carried out from the first day of absence, which is respected in 80% of cases.

How much does the absence of teachers cost to the state?

The Court of Auditors estimates the cost of teachers’ absences at nearly 4 billion euros per year, “More than a third of which originates from the very functioning of the education system”.

Does National Education do enough prevention to avoid absences?

“The ministry does not conduct a structured prevention policy”, alert the Court of Auditors. At issue: insufficiently deployed occupational risk assessment documents (although each establishment must have them, only 66% of schools and 72% of colleges and high schools had them in 2018) and preventive medicine under-staffed (82 prevention physicians, i.e. one for 16,000 National Education agents “While the norm is one doctor for 2,500”). “Under these conditions, the academies are not in a position to meet their obligations in terms of medical examinations and action on the professional environment”, notes the rue de Cambon. “Measures should be implemented without delay”, plead the Court of Auditors.

What does the Court of Auditors recommend?

In order to limit institutional absences, “The educational institution must ensure that the organization of exams or competitions and educational meetings does not systematically encroach on students’ class time, that training courses take place outside of teaching time and that teachers participating in school trips or outings are systematically replaced ”.

On the prevention aspect, the Court of Auditors encourages all establishments that have not adopted a single professional risk assessment document (Duerp) to adopt one, in accordance with the obligations, and wishes “Vaccination incentives”.

Finally, she believes that secondary school teachers (excluding vocational education) should strive towards «bivalence» or the “Versatility”, in other words mastering at least two subjects, in particular in order to be able to provide occasional replacements for colleagues.

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