Bac reform: Blanquer confirms a return of mathematics in the common core next school year

Jean-Michel Blanquer may not be in office when the time comes, but he assures us: the return of mathematics to the common core from the First class will take place at the start of the next school year.

In any case, this is what the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer said on Tuesday, thus responding to criticism of the absence of this subject in the programs for many students following the reform of the high school.

“What we are going to do and it is a commitment from the President of the Republic, is to put more mathematics in the common core”, he declared on RTL.

“You have two hours of scientific teaching in the common core, we will probably add to it, and it is a commitment from the president, an hour and a half”.

🎙️ @jmblanquer: "We are going to put more mathematics in the common core. 3h30 of science and mathematics for those who do not do specialty science education"#RTLMatin ⤵ pic.twitter.com/nHt5HJFQ0N

– RTL France (@RTLFrance) May 11, 2022

“We have done everything to ensure that the system is organized for the next school year, for 3h30 of science and mathematics in the common core for those who do not do specialized scientific education”, added Jean-Michel Blanquer, who lived a relatively hectic five-year term.

Since the high school reform in 2019, mathematics was no longer part of the subjects taught to all high school students (the common core).

Previously, even students in the literary stream benefited from mathematical education.

A return to mathematics yes, but beware of haste

On February 18, the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer launched a consultation committee on the teaching of maths in high school, in order to "list the remarks" and come up with "realistic and effective scenarios for improvement" of the offer of this teaching, according to a letter sent to the staff.

Following this initiative, an expert report recommended in March to reintroduce mathematics in the common core from the first class, at the rate of an hour and a half to two hours more per week.

A proposal which also appeared in the program of Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his re-election.

Read alsoBac: Parcoursup turned upside down, scanned copies … the particularities of the 2022 version exam

Because the teachers are alarmed by the drop in the number of young people taking this subject, and especially among girls.

These associations of mathematics teachers have repeatedly sounded the alarm in recent months.

On the ground, some believe, however, that the reintroduction of math in the common core, a new change, should not be done in a hurry.

Bruno Bobkiewicz, secretary general of the main union of school heads (SNPDEN) regretted on Twitter on Sunday that he had "still no official information on general and technical math".

"A few days away from the wishes of students and families, and out of respect for them (and a little for us), the only solution is the status quo for 2022 for an intelligent evolution in 2023".