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Primary and secondary teachers, assistants and parents joined the protest against the French government for the health control imposed on schools. The constant, cumbersome protocol changes and the lack of communication with the teachers unleashed the staff strike. Teachers demand more protection in schools and clearer rules after the increase in positive cases in students and professionals in recent days.
This Thursday, January 13, thousands of teachers marched through the streets of France on a day of strike due to the weariness that occurred with the handling of the pandemic, which they consider negative and confusing. This happens after the Government modified the anti-Covid-19 protocols in schools three times in a week. The lack of clarity, the increasingly confusing procedures and the lack of communication are the reasons that led to the mobilizations.
According to the figures handled by the unions, the protest had a support of 62% in high school teachers, 75% in primary and a large number of parents of students, who are also upset with the situation. In contrast, the Ministry of Education maintains that the national follow-up average was only 27.34.
This measure was accepted by 11 teaching unions and parent organizations, showing the widespread discontent of all parties involved in schools.
The strike is not against the virus, it is against poor communication
“It’s a strike against the lack of concertation,” said Laurent Berger, general secretary of the CFDT union, on the France Info radio station.
For her part, Lilia Larbi (English teacher and member of the SE-UNA union), who was marching in the center of Paris, stated that “the strike is not against the virus, it is against poor communication, the change of rules and the mismanagement of the health crisis.
In a context where positive cases in students and teachers have grown exponentially over the days, the latest health protocols aim to not close classrooms and to make protection conditions more flexible. Days ago, Prime Minister Jean Castex had explained that otherwise “in a few days all classes in France will be closed.”
However, the procedures to replace professional casualties who were infected with coronavirus have been sloppy, summoning retirees or volunteers to temporarily replace them instead of other teachers who participated in competitions or are on waiting lists.
Je viens d’être tested positive for Covid.
Consequently, I met in isolation and continued to assure my functions at a distance.— Olivier Veran (@olivierveran) January 13, 2022
Teachers also expect greater security and better prevention equipment (masks, additional tests in establishments) to be able to attend classes in a framework where the omicron variant worsens the health situation in France every day.
As the Education Minister himself admitted, Jean-Michel Blanquer, there were 50,000 cases among the boys “in recent days” and they expect the situation to get worse.
This last Wednesday, more than 360,000 people tested positive -including the Minister of Health, Olivier Verán-, the death toll rose to 294 and hospital and intensive care capacity is progressively filled.
With EFE and AP
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