The announcement by the University of Strasbourg to extend the Christmas holidays by one week and to impose a week of distance learning in February, to save on heating, does not suit the Minister of Higher Education.
Sylvie Retailleau would prefer to keep the lessons "strongly face-to-face", she said on France Info on Tuesday.
"Universities, all higher education establishments, are led to reflect on the sobriety plan," said the minister.
“We are going to support our establishments”, she added, specifying that it was “above all not” that this plan be done “at the expense of the students”.
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Faced with a student population already weakened by long periods of isolation, the trade union organizations fear a return to “distanciel”.
And for some staff, this amounts, according to the FSU union, to “imposed teleworking”, which will lead to employees being charged “heating and electricity costs which should be borne by the employer”.
“Set the heating to 19 degrees”
“It should not penalize the lessons, noted the minister.
We are coming out of Covid periods.
We must keep these teachings strongly face-to-face "and we must" not return to distance learning, "she insisted.
This plan must not be done either “to the detriment of posts” because “we need our teaching posts in front of the students”, nor “to the detriment of big projects”, said the minister again.
“We have to save energy consumption.
(…) That means putting the heating at 19 degrees, concretely installing thermostats, obviously thinking - with the plan led by the Prime Minister on ecological planning - on buildings, renovations.
So have a short-term plan, and then a longer-term plan also for our research equipment, ”explained the former president of Paris-Sud University.
