Jean De La Fontaine high school on March 16, 2020. – Louise MERESSE / SIPA
- In departments classified as green, “high schools will reopen and gradually welcome students, at least on one of the three levels,” said Jean-Michel Blanquer on Thursday.
- Another deal for high schools in orange classified departments (Ile-de-France, Mayotte and Guyana): professional high schools will reopen as a priority.
- Despite the fact that there is only one month left of class, this reopening of high schools is not without interest.
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Their Eastpack backpacks will soon be used again. High school students will resume their way to their establishments in June , announced this Thursday Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. With nuances depending on where they live. In departments classified as green, “general, technological and vocational high schools will reopen and gradually welcome students, at least on one of the three levels”, second, first or final, firstly, said Jean-Michel Blanquer .
Another deal for high schools in departments classified orange (Ile-de-France, Mayotte and Guyana): professional high schools will reopen first, but for “students who need professional certification” at first, namely those of terminal and CAP. In general and technological high schools, there will be no classes per se. But “the students will be welcomed when convened by the educational team, for individual interviews” during which the students will discuss “their difficulties during confinement, their educational needs, their orientation project,” explains Jean-Michel’s entourage. Blanquer to 20 minutes. And some students will be able to participate in work in small groups. A resumption of contact, even a brief one, justified by the Minister of Education: “Every pupil has the vocation to find his establishment physically and to have an individual interview which can be a course in small groups. It is not the breaking of a bond, but the arrangement of things, “said the Minister of Education. And whatever the zone in which they are, the pupils of 1st grade will not have to pass the oral exam of the French bac,
which is canceled . The test will be validated by continuous testing.
“We can prepare the final year students who have to take the remedial oral exam”
A very different start of the school year which calls for comments: “It is a reopening at the very least and very vague,” says Sophie Vénétitay, deputy secretary general of the SNES-FSU. For high schools in the green zone, several questions arise, she said: “What level will be affected first? Which students will be given priority? ” The date of reopening of high schools in the green zone also raises questions: “It requires collective organization which takes time. It is difficult to see how we will be ready from June 3, ”continues the union member. An opinion shared by Héloïse Moreau, president of the UNL high school student union ” It is not possible to meet the conditions for enforcing the health protocol in classrooms, in the canteen… ”she believes.
Despite these doubts and the fact that there is only one month of class left, this reopening of high schools is not without interest. It is “a social emergency”, once again insisted Jean-Michel Blanquer, aware of the distance which operated between the educational institution and certain pupils during the confinement. On the side of the educational community, if we challenge the government’s method, we do not question the purpose of this resumption of high school. “We can prepare the final year students who have to take the remedial oral exam and try to upgrade the students in difficulty,” hopes Sophie Vénétitay. “High school students who were unable to attend normal schooling during confinement need to acquire maximum skills before entering higher education. And we must avoid that those who have distanced themselves from the school are definitively disgusted with the courses, ”says Héloïse Moreau.
“Every week of lessons won counts” in high school pro
For Pascal Vivier, secretary general of Snetaa Fo, the majority union of teachers in vocational high schools, the reopening of these establishments was imperative: “Because during confinement, we lost 50% of young people in CAP and 25 to 30% of those enrolled in professional bac. We won’t be able to hang up all dropouts, but each week of lessons won counts towards meeting this challenge. We will be able to offer refresher courses, find internship locations and help students think about their career plans. “
Regarding the system planned for high schools classified in orange zone, the interest of bringing them back for an individual interview gives rise to some debates: “Above all, this interview must focus on the psychological state of the students, because many of them experienced very difficult things during confinement” , insists Héloïse Moreau. “This will make it possible to re-enroll the students in a collective and to give them advice to prepare for their return to school during the summer,” adds Sophie Vénétitay. As for the small group work sessions, “it is imperative that they be addressed primarily to students with difficulties,” said the union member. A contact with the school which will certainly be brief, but will allow us to start on a better basis.
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