As 12 million students return to school this Monday, September 1st, the Minister of National Education, Élisabeth Borne, admitted on RTL that "the equivalent of 2500 teachers" were missing. This figure is slightly lower than last year's, but it once again highlights the chronic recruitment difficulties in French schools.
Replacements to reinforce, but gaps persist
The minister assured that "99,9% of primary school positions are filled," while acknowledging that teaching hours would remain unfilled. In an attempt to limit absences, she said she wanted to "strengthen the teams of substitute teachers" so that there would be a teacher in each class not only at the start of the school year, but throughout the year.
This new school year is also marked by new reforms: the return of a mathematics test in the first year, changes to continuous assessment for the baccalaureate, and tougher rules for access to resits. The brevet will also be remodeled, while the "mobile phone on pause" system, designed to combat the misuse of phones in middle school, will gradually be generalized.
