FRANCE-DEMO/TEACHERS French teachers hit Paris streets to protest education reforms

Record ID: 150923

  • Title: FRANCE-DEMO/TEACHERS French teachers hit Paris streets to protest education reforms
  • Date: 11th June 2015
  • Summary: DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING HOLDING BANNER
  • Embargoed: 26th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5QVEIAG5VGGHNVKMAQ2YYSX5V
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Teachers went on strike in France on Thursday (June 11) to protest new measures aimed at revamping the country's creaking school system, a reform that President Francois Hollande wants to push ahead with despite widespread resistance.
    Billed as countering elitism and ensuring fairer use of teaching resources, the reform has faced criticism from trade unions, the conservative opposition, sections of the left and even Germany, which fears German-language teaching in middle schools will suffer.
    The SNES union's co-secretary general Rolland Hubert said that the government was forcing the education reform despite resistance, and was not listening to teachers' concerns.
    "We're asking the minister to finally take note that middle school teachers reject this reform. They're not against reform in middle schools, they want things to change, but they want those reforms not to be based on this, what the minister is trying to impose on us. She can withdraw her decree, we'll continue the discussions and try to pick up the same thread that's been running through the evolution of the education system since 2012. There's been a total break (with the past) and it's a missed opportunity and a real waste for the system," Hubert said.
    The plan, labelled a "shipwreck for France" by one conservative deputy, aims to counter elitism and give schools more leeway on what they teach, while promoting interdisciplinary learning.
    Critics fear a shift of resources away from German, Latin and Greek -- currently the choice of a minority of the most gifted pupils -- that will drag down overall standards.
    Julie Bodnar, a German language teacher who took part in the demonstration, said she wanted the Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem to take count of teachers' wishes when discussing reforms.
    "We want a dialogue with the minister, we want to construct the reforms together, we also have things that we don't like. For German, to cut second languages, we think that's absurd. We're really in total flux and total uncertainty," Bodnar said.
    Opinion polls show that while one in two teachers backed Hollande in the first round of the 2012 election, he is losing support and many are tempted by the far-right National Front.
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