Working conditions in schools have been difficult since the start of the epidemic. But Omicron will have succeeded in the feat of undermining the health protocol and the patience of the teachers in barely a week. “Since the start of the school year in January, the exhaustion and exasperation of the entire educational community have reached an unprecedented level”, note the main unions in the world of Education, and in particular teachers, in a call for strike for this Thursday. .
But the epidemic context does not explain everything. The anger is clearly directed towards the Ministry of National Education and more particularly Jean-Michel Blanquer. “The responsibility of the minister and the government in this chaotic situation is total because of the incessant changes of footing, untenable protocols and lack of means given to ensure the functioning of Education. Despite an unprecedented amplification of the epidemic , the School does not benefit from the protective organization that would be necessary to ensure the safety of students, staff and their families”, scathing the unions.
As L’Express wrote on Sunday, and even before the intervention of the Prime Minister, the latter are demanding a return to a “manageable situation”. The point on their demands, at the dawn of this strike which promises to be very well attended. About half of the schools will be closed, according to the main primary union, the SNUipp-FSU.
“It is urgent to review the operating rules with the return to the protective rule “1 positive case = closure of the class”, notes the SNU-ipp-FSU. This rule had been abandoned at the end of November by the government, preferring to intensify the screenings in the event of suspicion of Covid, with the aim of leaving as many classes as possible open. Its abandonment had contributed to bringing down the number of closed classes in France. They are again very numerous on the territory, more than 10,000 of after the latest figures from the ministry. The return of this device joins another request, formulated by the SE-Unsa, that of “non-cumulation of face-to-face and distance education”.
The second point on which the unions insist is the isolation of intra-family contacts. In the latest rules enacted by the government, a pupil in contact with a positive person in his home must follow a test procedure (self-tests) on D0, D 2 and D 4, in order to be able to return to class. But the first negative already makes it possible to return to school. The unions advocate a return to isolation.
Finally, a “policy of systematic weekly preventive saliva tests with a campaign of conviction to be carried out with families”, is necessary, judge the organizations.
As of January 6, around 5,631 cases were identified among educational staff, including teachers. Surely a higher figure today. The unions want hiring, “via the additional lists”, in order to compensate for these absences. The government is still relying on contract workers, and the implementation of computer tools, such as Andjaro, as mentioned by the JDD, in order to quickly remedy these stops due to illness.
The SNES-FSU, the leading union of teaching, education and guidance staff in general and technological colleges and high schools, is asking for the baccalaureate exams scheduled in March to be postponed to June. Specialty ones.
“Currently, many students and teachers are placed in solitary confinement, the classes empty then fill up then empty again, according to the discoveries of Covid cases. The time has therefore come for educational discontinuity which further weakens learning. Under these conditions, how can we believe that it is possible to calmly prepare for the baccalaureate exams which are scheduled in 7 weeks, mid-March? The inequalities in preparation for the exam are more and more flagrant!”.
This is a final demand, unanimously shared in the education sector: “from now on staff must be equipped with surgical masks, and FFP2 for those who wish; self-tests must be provided to them and classrooms and restoration equipped with CO2 sensor”, indicates the inter-union.
National education has so far ordered 55 million surgical masks to equip school and educational establishment staff, with first deliveries from mid-January. No mention has yet been made of orders for FFP2 masks, deemed to be more protective. Some municipalities have preceded the State, such as in Limoges, which currently distributes these masks to teachers in their schools as well as to crèche staff. As for the purchase of CO2 sensors, Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer recalled that this was a competence of local authorities. Mayors, therefore, to put their hands in their pockets.
