Some 7% of teachers are currently absent in schools, hard hit by the Covid-19 epidemic, but the peak of absences "
should not normally exceed 15%
", assured Wednesday January 5 the minister of the 'National education, while the start of the school year has been under tension since Monday.
Read alsoCovid-19: with the Omicron variant, can the open school doctrine still hold?
"
Am I going to deny that January is difficult?"
Of course not
, ”admitted Jean-Michel Blanquer, questioned during questions to the government in the Senate.
“
Are we helpless when it comes to replacement problems?
This is the main subject
", he continued, stressing that the figures put forward by the scientific council at the end of December"
speak of 30%
"of absentees,"
by adding up the cases of patients and the cases of contact
", this which "
is not at all the same subject
".
Replaced by retired professors
The scientific council had in fact estimated at "
at least
" a third of the professors who could be affected by the virus by the end of January, either by being positive for Covid-19, or "
indirectly
" by being in contact. But the rules of isolation have since been lightened, and teachers in contact "
return to school if they are vaccinated after having taken a test
", then specified the Minister of Education.
"
It is impossible to say what will be the peak of absences, but it should not normally exceed 15%
," said Jean-Michel Blanquer Wednesday in the Senate. "
In any case, we are currently deploying means to go beyond the 9% of replacement means, and indeed to go towards 12-15%
".
"
The absence this week, as we can see, it is 7%
", referring to an average for schools, colleges and high schools. “
And so we are in a position at the moment to replace, with of course exceptions, there are some, I admit. But we are in a position to have this open school policy, which corresponds to everyone's desire
”. In an interview with Le
Parisien
on Sunday, Jean-Michel Blanquer had indicated that the ministry was recruiting "
contractors and temporary workers
", in order to allow "
in the first degree, to move from a replacement capacity of 9%
" to "
12- 15% depending on the academies
”.
Read also Covid-19: Jean-Michel Blanquer plunges the school into the fog
"
I am pleased to observe the engagement of retired professors volunteering for replacements
," he added.
The start of the school year has been under tension since Monday with the Omicron variant, which raises concerns about a month of January very disturbed by the risks of Covid contamination, class closures and non-replaced teacher absences.