On the occasion of Delphine Batho’s visit to Nice, Member of Parliament for Deux-Sèvres and spokesperson for François Hollande, the PS federation of Alpes-Maritimes organized a conference on job cuts in education.
In front of the Fuon Cauda school, at the forefront of staff reductions in national education, Delphine Batho, spokesperson for François Hollande, and Patrick Allemand met with parents to review the local consequences of national educational choices. “We need to stop treating teachers like pawns and schools like chessboards,” exclaimed a parent. The scene is set; the planned 43 closures and 7 blockages of schools in Alpes-Maritimes are not going down well.
Priority to the first cycle
Reaffirming her support for the FCPE’s mobilization, Delphine Batho criticizes a “lack of resources that has persisted for several years,” referencing Nicolas Sarkozy’s policies. With presidential elections approaching, the program of the Socialist candidate was also a topic of discussion. The priority will be given to the first cycle, namely preschool, primary, and middle school, explains the spokesperson. Preschool education should also be developed “wherever there are the greatest needs,” particularly in ZEP areas. Conversely, no changes are planned for high schools. “It’s dizzying with nonstop reforms,” Delphine Batho remarks wryly.
5 teachers for 200 students
With 80,000 job cuts in teaching and school supervision, the assessment of Nicolas Sarkozy’s five-year term in the national education sector is rather mixed. The support network for students in difficulty faced similar fates, with a third of its staff cut. Meanwhile, the number of primary school students continues to rise (+219,000 from 2007-2011). With an average of 5 teachers for 100 students, France has one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in primary education among OECD countries.
