With 1,248 additional positions, JM Blanquer reorients the priorities of National Education

Is priority education already dead? A week after announcing that there would be no closing of classes in rural areas without the mayor’s agreement, JM Blanquer announces the creation of 1248 additional posts in the first degree. This is generally good news for schools. But it is above all a political shift. Contrary to appearances, this does not break with the austerity policy led by JM Blanquer since his arrival on rue de Grenelle. On the other hand, while for 40 years National Education has declared poor suburbs as priority, JM Blanquer confirms that rural areas are priority, to the detriment of working-class neighborhoods. It puts into practice the orientations of the Mathiot report.

Good news

For all those who have denounced the inadequacy of the first degree school card, the news of the creation of 1248 additional positions at the start of the 2020 academic year sounds like excellent news.

It comes after JM Blanquer’s statements on March 27. On TF1, the Minister of National Education declares: “We will not do a single class closure in rural areas (less than 5000 inhabitants note) without the mayor’s agreement … In urban areas we will re-study the balance between openness and closing “. A ministerial press release speaks of “the neutralization of certain closings”.

A year earlier, E Macron had announced that he wanted to split the large sections of kindergarten in priority education and limit all classes of GS, CP and Ce1 to 24 students. Decisions that represent around 10,000 jobs over 3 years. However, only 440 positions were open at the start of the 2020 academic year. Admittedly, 42,500 fewer students are expected at the start of the first grade. But that frees up only the equivalent of about 1600 positions. In total, the department therefore has only 2,000 positions available while it would need more than 3,300. 1,300 were missing. These are the 1,248 positions that were announced on April 7.

In a confirmed downward trend

Does JM Blanquer really break with the policy he has pursued since his arrival at the ministry? In 2017 the previous government had created 4,211 jobs. In 2018, JM Blanquer opened only 3,680 positions while doubling CP and Ce1 priority education. In 2019 it was 2325 jobs. In 2020 we should have gone to only 440 positions. Finally it will be 1688.

Woe to priority education

JM Blanquer, on the other hand, made a real political break as regards the distribution of posts. Only rural academies are allocated significant additional resources. Emblematic is that of Amiens which goes from 40 job cuts to +24 thanks to the contribution of 64 jobs roughly distributed between the 3 departments. Besançon comes out of the red thanks to the contribution of 40 positions. Nancy-Metz, which was to lose 18 jobs, sees 100 arriving at the same time as its new rector. Orleans towers receives 65 additional positions. Clermont Ferrand and Limoges also with 43 and 25 positions. Dijon was to lose 25 posts it gains 24 with the arrival of 50 posts. By comparison Lille, will ultimately only have 4 additional positions. It is clear that all means are sent to the most rural academies which are also those where the school population decreases the most.

Unfortunately, however, urbanized academies with many priority education schools. We have seen the example of Lille. But the situation in Créteil and Versailles is even worse. In these two academies, despite the contribution of 1,248 jobs, there will be half the number of jobs created in 2020 than in 2019. In 2019 Créteil had 502 jobs compared to 682 in 2018. For 2020, 201 jobs were registered. Finally, it will be 225, none of which is for the poorest and youngest department in mainland France. the Seine Saint Denis. Versailles goes from 243 to 265 positions.

Thus the ministerial decision confirms the reorientation of the government’s school policy. It puts rural schools as a priority. This is also the meaning of the Mathiot – Azéma report which calls for the removal of Reps and the provision of priority education resources in rural areas. However, nothing, either in terms of educational level or in terms of social equality, justifies the priority given to the rural. The rural handicap exists. But it only appears in the post-baccalaureate orientation, at a level which escapes the Ministry of National Education. Without saying and deciding, JM Blanquer begins to put into practice the “deprioritization” of working-class neighborhoods.

Union reactions

The ministerial announcement strongly reacted the Snuipp Fsu of Seine Saint Denis. He noted that the poorest, youngest and most affected by the health crisis did not obtain any additional posts. “From an educational point of view, our students will need better schools with conditions that can encourage the return to learning for all. The priority should no longer be the implementation of ministerial arrangements, but indeed to a general reduction in enrollment in all classes, to the strengthening of RASED within schools (and not as a “resource center”), to the development of additional teachers in all schools in order to reconstruct what this health crisis will have turned upside down ” , writes the union.

In the Assembly on April 7, JM Blanquer, in response to a question from deputy GDR Stéphane Peu, denounced as “a baliverne” the fact that there would be no creation of posts in the 93. He promised 127 more positions at the start of the 2020 academic year. Forgetting to specify that these were the positions planned before the April 7 announcement. None of the 1248 positions announced today will go to the department that most needs them.

Overall, the ministerial measure is “good news”, said Francette Popineau, co-secretary general of Snuipp fsu. “It is good that the rural is served. But we would not want it to be done at the expense of academies with high priority education. What the current period reveals is the existence of strong inequalities. take it into account. I need an answer at this level, for 93 for example “. The Snuipp also worries about the teachers put on these stations. “We ask to fill the positions put up for competition and that we do not put contractual workers on these jobs. What the health crisis also shows is that teaching is a profession.”

For the Se-Unsa, “despite this additional endowment, the fear remains that Rased posts, already previously decimated during the Sarkozy five-year term, will still disappear. The pool of replacements is also likely to be reduced. “were already not up to the task of allowing the duplication in major section in priority education and the limitations to 24 pupils in GS, CP and CE1 elsewhere. A pause in the deployment of these measures would undoubtedly be desirable or even necessary. The real needs of public schools from kindergarten to high schools still require a budgetary effort. “

François Jarraud

Snuip93

Se-Unsa

The school map planned for 2020

March 27 announcement

New primary school map