Positive. This is what the Minister of National Education worked to do for an hour and a half on Wednesday during his back-to-school press conference. All students will return home on September 1st. " I note that this is the expectation of parents of students and of society, " he said, referring to a survey published on Sunday in the JDD , where nearly 80% of families declared themselves there. favorable. To hear him, everything is ready for this school year which is likely to be interspersed with localized episodes of school closures linked to Covid. No need to worry: our health protocol is one of the " strictest”Which is, he assures. Even the confinement would have gone better than elsewhere, with parents who would be generally satisfied with schoolwork during this period. As for the dropout rate, it would be one of the lowest in Europe ...
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While the teachers' unions have denounced for a week a health protocol in their eyes obsolete given the evolution of the Covid epidemic, the minister confirmed the maintenance of his text written on July 20. With a small modification: the mask will be compulsory for all teachers, while an exception was previously considered for kindergarten teachers. As for the pupils, no change: this mask will be compulsory in class and in confined spaces for middle and high school students.
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In the event of active circulation of the virus, “ adaptations ” will be decided. They may range from the establishment of mixed education (on site and distance) to the closure of schools. These possible returns from "home schooling " are unlikely to delight parents.
Possible tightening of the protocol for Paris and its inner suburbs as well as the Bouches-du-RhôneBut for the moment, “ as of September 1, this is not topical, ” insists the minister. Paris and its inner suburbs as well as the Bouches-du-Rhône are, however, already classified as a “ red zone ”. The virus circulating there actively, these territories seem to meet the conditions for a hardening of the protocol. But obviously not immediately for the government. The re-entry must be done. And for everyone.
"Read, write, count"
Jean-Michel Blanquer also mentioned the upgrading of the teaching profession. In this comeback unlike any other, a good dose of cuddling was needed. The bonus for school principals, announced in July, is confirmed. These staff placed on the front line during the confinement and reopening of schools, will receive an exceptional compensation of 450 euros by the end of the year. Also confirmed, the revaluation announced in December, at the time of the strikes. " 400 million euros to improve the remuneration of teachers" will be released " from 2021 ".
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In the past three years in Rue de Grenelle - a great longevity - Jean-Michel Blanquer signed a law on schools, implemented the flagship presidential promise of duplicating classes in CP and CE1, and wrote a reform of the lycée which will lead to success , in 2021, to a baccalaureate of a new kind. This re-entry is therefore not placed under the sign of educational upheaval. Though. The Minister is staying the course on the "fundamentals", "reading, writing, counting".
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In his back-to-school circular, written this summer, he emphasized mathematics and French. On Wednesday, he announced the launch of an " experiment " on " CP reading methods ". Some 500 classes from 10 departments will be affected. From his arrival, Jean-Michel Blanquer had worked for a “phonological and syllabic” learning of reading, by recommending methods and reference manuals to teachers. Which had denounced an attack on their "educational freedom". During his press conference, he insisted Wednesday on grammar, "a word that should not scare us" , referring to the "first volume" of a reference work, published in July. The tone is set.
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Back to school: “the assessments at the start of the year” for children in 6th year will be “muscular”, according to Blanquer - Watch on Figaro Live