(en) France, Organisation Communiste Libertarie - lyon (OCL) - Courant Alternatif, CA #236 - , The cons - "reform school rhythms": the first steps of a struggle to come... (fr, pt)

Under the guise of "rebuild the school," the left continues the task begun by his 
predecessors right. It is now the turn of Minister Peillon take its share of unwinding and 
restructuring a school setting now considered obsolete and inefficient. Market demands of 
labor and the cost of reproduction called according to formulas devoted to "initiate 
reforms" and to "save." Prepared well before the election of Holland but imposed ex 
nihilo, the implementation of the reform-rhythms against hidden behind a false controversy 
maintained around the reorganization "of the time of the child", the objective of 
commodify in the sub contractor, or any part of the activity. ---- Not only the Socialists 
returned to any measures which, under the Sarkozy government, they had mobilized against 
some primary school teachers: the dragnets by the "Base student" server, reducing the 
child to a sum of " micro-skills "through the creation of" Personal Skills Booklet 
"restricting the right of teachers to strike with the obligation to declare strike 48 
hours in advance, measuring always accompanies a hosting service called" minimum "- but 
they have the added bonus imposed their forehead" reform school rhythms. "

The starting point is simple, if not simplistic: the French schoolchildren school days 
among the longest in Europe with the number of days the lower school. The organization of 
school time is one of the main causes of poor performance in the survey conducted under 
the auspices of the OECD results (1) and announced by Peillon before they are made public ...

Streamline time parcelliser "skills"

Now, students will work nine half-days in the week instead of the previous eight. This, 
incidentally, is only applying to literally an amendment already contained in the Decree 
of the Minister Darcos right, dated 15 May 2008 (2) ... Priority is given to the morning 
time slots reserved for learning, the release time is converted in the afternoon called 
"extracurricular" activities. To justify this new development, the team Peillon amalgam 
issue of the weekly student attendance than the access to so-called "cultural" practices 
inequality. A demonstration without coherence or report found that reduces the conditions 
of access to culture - what culture elsewhere? - A simple timetable case.

In order to establish the legitimacy of their policy, the socialists are added services 
"experts Chronobiology." These specialists are able to abstract a "time of the child", the 
measured time, imposed on all human activity during the market society (3). In this case, 
recognize that there is no intention qualitative. It sucks in reality only streamline the 
cost of time spent by the student in learning. Nothing new, if not controlled by adjusting 
the current arrangements for social reproduction. So, this time will be subject to 
streamlined learning parceled into "micro-competences" which results, after evaluation, 
will be recorded in the draconian and controversial "Booklet Personal Skills." Chain end, 
a new handful of scientists, those of PISA, evaluate based on the results of compliance 
promised and expected the education system. In summary, we are confronted in this case a 
form of sub-Taylorism adjusted to the school environment, in line with market expectations 
of employment. It goes without saying that this "time of the child", as is the listed our 
experts, is harmoniously its limit begins where the interests of the entertainment 
industry and tourism, ie precisely at the Friday afternoon, the day before the weekend ...

"Reform Rhythms" in action

In a first time, seventeen hundred cities that have chosen to apply the decree this year 
began with drum up Spatial staff and put in order. In some municipalities, job 
descriptions were changed without consultation or compensation and sometimes Patents 
Aptitude Animator past emergency and allocated in the wake function. Derogatory manner, 
rates of child frames have been modified and revised upwards since August 2013. The 
account is not there, the most zealous municipalities and better equipped recruited 
workers under private law paid EUR 7.39 net per hour for three hours of work per week (4). 
The result was not long in coming. "The Learning Differently", according to Ministerial 
formula is given to see it for what it really is: a muddle that maintains purposely 
confuse school and "extracurricular" activities, a simple display that does not fool 
anyone since the real meaning of that nestles against-reform elsewhere. In municipalities 
headed by ministers in place, such as Boulogne-sur-mer, for example, the effort is the 
first in propaganda in order to swallow the pill in the population. In an atmosphere of 
Potemkin village, official visits successive novels pictures municipal publications and 
injunctions to rain down at any cost, to hold the line. Moreover, politics are found where 
additional land to flaunt his misery. So do you observe on the eve of municipal elections, 
the Left Front, for example, challenge the street Peillon policy and defend the same day 
facing strikers and parents came to claim accounts in paneling City Hall ...

What work Socialists

If the state does not yet revealed its full level, several signals that provide a glimpse 
into what we are heading. With the "Reform Rhythms", it is also relying on the 
decentralization law in order to pass the organization of school time under the control of 
local authorities. A measure justified in the period by declining public funding and 
supported by the transfer of activities outsourced. It is in this specific context, that 
of a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Total group has 
pledged $ 4 million, to fund extracurricular activities plan Peillon (5).

These initial measures were immediately challenged by those who see it essentially a 
challenge to the national framework for education and "Equal Republican." In fact, reading 
a recent report by the Court of Auditors, we understand that it is the first act of a more 
ambitious plan. In one of the latest information delivered to the government, the court 
recommends revising procedures for assignment of personnel to "straighten student 
achievement," believing that "reform package management arrangements" is required ( 6). 
Finally, everything becomes clear when one learns that the operation will involve the 
second degree as soon as elementary schools. The so-called "reconstruction" projects law 
in effect, to extend the "reform rhythms" to colleges and high schools.

In the first stage, the shift to flexibility and the annualization of working time is 
already a reality. Since September, mobile teachers working alternately in constituencies 
where applicable and do not apply the cumulative reform illegally timeouts service that 
the framework established by the administration knows that they can recover. It is also 
the organization cycle schools that overflows from this year in college. It also increases 
the "Elementary / College" joint teaching activities as "Rally" embellished meetings, 
consultations, workshops and plenary common ...

It is therefore the deregulation of education systems and their creeping privatization 
referred through this against-reform. The objective pursued by the socialist government 
takes, it will be understood, less research for the development of the child and the case 
of the status of workers.

Mobilization on the ground

Shortly after the beginning of September, so far managed the feat of uniting against it 
and in a timely convergence parents cheated on merchandise but firmly opposed to any 
politician recovery (7), territorial fait accompli , teachers angered by yet another shift 
imposed without consultation and disoriented contractors and resigned in turn. A pleasure 
not to sulk when you know the flop that was the same period the non-action over pensions.

Since then, several municipalities have preferred to stop the experiment en route mainly 
under pressure from mobilized parents. They also challenged the government on its own 
ground, that of representativeness. Questionnaires developed and distributed by parents 
with families did lie advanced by the Department to impose its numbers. In institutions 
where families are widely expressed, the results of the recount showed up more than 70% of 
dissatisfaction and a large majority demanded the repeal or modification of the decree.

On 13 November, the day of national boycott organized again at the initiative of the 
parents was a real success. In many places where the boycott is applied, teachers made 
progress before virtually empty classes.

To win: go beyond the defense of corporate interests

Among teachers, of course, things are not moving in the same train. The majority of 
first-degree unions support the government in power and are involved in monitoring the 
reform in the joint bodies. It was in Paris, for the moment, that the mobilization is the 
strongest. Where essentially the basis of SNUIPP, against the positions of its management 
multiplies very day strikes followed. Since the fall, this policy has cost SNUIPP the 
departure of more than a thousand members, which, we must admit, is a pretty good sign ...

Elsewhere, the days of strikes on 14 November and 5 December 2013 have been relatively 
successful if we take into account that 80% of schools do not yet apply the reform.

So, hopefully in the coming year that the real balance of power will incur. This will 
depend primarily on the qu'adopteront attitude towards teachers union devices that claim 
to represent. It has become crucial to win something after years of setbacks, it is 
equally important to achieve by saying collectively, in contrast to the often individual 
resistance, isolated, sometimes quasi-clandestine conducted by some teachers in the 
Sarkozy years.

And finally because it is never too late to start to do well, the time has perhaps come 
for teachers to go beyond the defense of a mythical status and public service. Do not 
understand how it becomes ridiculous to face the market logic is at work by hiding behind 
a symbolic function completely devalued, that state, he has long understood ...

In schools, teachers are now working in conjunction with multiple categories of 
undocumented workers, insecure and constantly increasing. The arrival on the premises of 
the contractors Peillon reform is the latest illustration. It is now in the direction of 
these workers that few teachers in a class position, unionized or not, must turn to thwart 
attempts to divide municipalities left endeavor to encourage since September. Following 
yet to be written ...

A worker of social reproduction. Boulogne-sur-mer, the 12/16/13.

(1) About PISA, reading: "Pisa, what a useful fetish, in:" 
http://www.questionsdeclasses.org/ ...?

(2) See, Claire Leconte (which in turn supports the reform): Rationale demonstrating the 
absurdity of the decree issued under the Act for the rebuilding of the school. 
http://www.claireleconte. com / pages / ...

(3) On the relation that the "Capital" to "Time", read or reread with profit the classic 
ED Thompson, entitled "Time, work discipline and industrial capitalism." Excerpt: "In the 
organization of work in the planning of recreation, use of space in the design of everyday 
life, these are all structures of modern capitalist society which arise from the workings 
of the measured time. "

(4) One of them says: "TAP is the worst organization ever seen; delirium and now I pay for 
it 3h/week while we swore to me that would be the RSA unaffected. There I had 100 euros 
and 180 removes me ... "

(5)  ... http://www.sudeducation.org/Rythmes

(6) "Managing teachers differently." Report of the Court of Auditors dated 22 May 2013.

(7) attempts to recover the challenge from the right have all failed for the moment. For 
its part, the CIPF supports reform, but seems well insulated, and some locals have stood 
in the direction joining the protest