From 545 at the start of last week to 3,000 at the start of the week: ten days after the start of the school year, the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, took stock of class closures linked to Covid-19.
As provided for in level 2 of the health protocol, retained by the ministry for the metropolis, primary classes (kindergarten and elementary) must close from the first proven case of coronavirus, for seven days.
In college and high school, on the other hand, only
"contact students at risk without complete vaccination"
must isolate themselves at home and
"continue their learning at a distance"
for seven days.
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This Monday, in an interview with the
Parisian
, the one who now holds the record for longevity at the head of the Ministry of National Education announced that
"a little more than 3,000 classes"
had to close their doors because of the Covid-19, or
"just over 0.5%"
of the 540,000 in the country. Tuesday, September 7, at the National Assembly, he had put forward the figure of 545 closed classes, ie
"a little above 0.1%"
of all classes. Which areas of France are the most affected? How many students and staff have been infected with Covid-19? How many saliva tests have been offered and performed?
The Ministry of National Education has no additional information to provide and refers to its first situation report for this 2021-2022 school year, scheduled for next Friday.
What the SNUipp-FSU union deplores.
“If the minister gives a figure, it is because he has the details.
Why not communicate them right away? ”
, asks Guislaine David, its general secretary.
It is necessary to turn directly to the academies - at least, those which agree to answer - to have an idea of the local situations: 18 classes are thus closed in the academy of Limoges, 60 in that of Reims, 120 in that of Nancy- Metz, 130 in that of Strasbourg ...
A low percentage
Also in
Le Parisien
, the minister said he expected the number of closed classes
"to increase over the next few days and then stabilize, before dropping down".
It is based first of all on the observations made
“each time you return from vacation”
in 2020-2021
.
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A prophecy that Guislaine David, still convinced that the level 2 protocol
"is not sufficiently protective"
, tempers:
"It models what we experienced last year, but this year, we are facing the Delta variant. ! "
The minister also cites Reunion Island as an example, where the start of the school year took place in mid-August.
Out of 9,710 classes, 42 closed in the first week, 77 the second, 59 the third and 57 the fourth.
Either
"an extremely low percentage",
comments the rector of the academy, Chantal Manès-Bonnisseau.
"We have a month of hindsight and we can say that, in terms of health, the re-entry went very well despite the concerns that there might be, in particular due to the high incidence rate on the island"
, she rejoices.
Cautious return to the West Indies and parts of Guyana
With ten days behind their metropolitan comrades, young people educated in the West Indies and in the red zones of Guyana made their return to school on Monday.
Each territory is subject to specific rules.
Saint-Barthélemy is thus following the example of France by implementing the level 2 protocol for its 1,000 students from kindergarten to college - the island does not have a high school.
In Saint-Martin and in the red zones of Guyana, level 4 of the protocol applies: face-to-face for the first degree, hybridization for the second degree, indoor and outdoor masks for all from the first grade ...
In Guadeloupe and Martinique, the “enhanced hybridization” solution was adopted for the next two weeks. Until September 24, students will only be welcomed in their establishment once or twice a week, always in small groups, and will not have access to school meals or sports activities. After that? If the health situation evolves favorably,
"it will be a question of switching to the national protocol on a level 4, where one would increase a little the time of face-to-face teaching"
, hopes the rectorate of Martinique, which has also had to face this Monday a walkout of municipal officials from several municipalities because of the health risk.
