Jean-Michel Blanquer marked the rue de Grenelle with his reformist voluntarism. Its ability to please the macronist right wing. And, of course, like any self-respecting Minister of Education, he federated, in fine, the teaching union critics against him. Emmanuel Macron and Jean Castex decided to reinforce him at his post, Monday. "I care about this house," said the person often.
Read also: L'Élysée connects directly to Matignon
If his popularity has crumbled in three years of exercise - only 44% of French people wanted him to stay in office, according to a JDD poll published on Sunday -, he managed to keep the confidence of President Macron until the end. from the first lady, who has always supported him. He notably scored points by succeeding in bringing back, on June 22, a large majority of pupils and teachers to school in a very uncertain context.
Conservative, but champion of "at the same time", reformer but pragmatic, austere but great communicator, the man who built his career under the right, director of school education under the Sarkozy mandate, proved to be much more political than the first portraits of him said, when he was unexpectedly appointed to Education in 2017. He was then unknown to the general public.
Check all boxes
Converted into the boss of Essec under Hollande after seeing Sciences Po escape him, this great friend of François Baroin - whom he met at Stanislas private college -, close to Alain Juppé at the time of the presidential campaign before joining the Camp Macron, a regular at the Montaigne Institute, a liberal think tank, Jean-Michel Blanquer is far from being a simple technocrat. And despite the learned tone adopted during his numerous media interventions, " Professor Blanquer " has always addressed opinion and families, posed as a defender of the republican order.
Read also: Guillaume Tabard: "A renewed team but strengthened on the regalien"
So that a few hours before the announcement of his continued education, Monday his name circulated for Place Beauvau. At the start of the quinquennium, some even saw him as a possible successor to Edouard Philippe at Matignon, with whom relations proved to be complicated. Often described as the " darling " of the government, sent to the front in times of crisis, this associate professor of public law has already spent three years on rue de Grenelle, a great longevity for this position often considered " unmanageable " by politicians, as social conflicts are recurrent there.
Good soldier
A good soldier, Jean-Michel Blanquer worked to tick all the boxes of the presidential promises, of the splitting of classes in primary school, in priority education - measure cataloged on the "left" -, in the reform of the baccalaureate, of rather liberal inspiration. The traditional bac, made of national and terminal tests, leaves room for " specialties " and the introduction of 40% of " continuous control " in the final grade. A shift strongly contested by Snes, the first secondary union, which gave rise, in July 2019, to an unprecedented strike to correct the copies. But Jean-Michel Blanquer held out: the " new bac " will be good next year. All these efforts are rewarded with a portfolio now extended to Sports, in tandem with the Minister Delegate Roxana Maracineanu.
Man of convictions, the minister knew how to impose his ideas, against the tide of the "pedagogist" campMan of convictions, the minister knew how to impose his ideas, against the tide of the " pedagogist " camp , by advocating, in primary school, a phonological and syllabic approach to reading, by restoring as soon as he arrived the " bilingual " classes , that the reform of the college of Najat Vallaud-Belkacem had swept away, or by displaying firmly secular positions.
In appointing a neuroscientist, Stanislas Dehaene, to head the scientific committee of National Education, Blanquer has often been accused of " scientism " by a part of the teaching world keen on sociology and educational sciences. Which textbooks are most effective? How to measure student progress? The Scientific Council answered its many questions, nourishing its reforms.
Read also: Reshuffle: in Macronie, all roads lead to Nicolas Sarkozy
It was in a constrained budgetary context that he had to lead the latter, with 1,800 posts cut in 2019 in secondary school. To restore his image, he counted on a great “ revaluation ” of the teaching profession. He knew that the teachers' discontent and the prolonged disaffection for certain competitions were partly linked to low salaries, especially at the start and mid-career. The Minister was talking to Bercy on a firm footing. On this point, everything remains to be done.
