A new term and a reckoning - Emmanuel Macron will soon leave the presidency after a decade spent exacerbating inequalities. He will leave behind a country drained of its vitality and plagued by social inequalities at their highest level in 30 years (according to INSEE). Young workers have been particularly hard hit by "supply-side" policies; far from stemming the drift toward voting for the RN (National Rally), the bridges to far-right ideas have actually never been stronger, fueled by the reactionary logic pervasive in the Macron era.
This final back-to-school period of the grim Macron decade marks the end of an era of ultra-liberal policies that have weakened the education system, public services, and hard-won social rights. This return to school is not merely an administrative milestone; it symbolizes political choices aimed at undermining workers.
Ten years of reforms-but with what results?
These ten years of education policy have left a devastated landscape: botched, rushed counter-reforms; experimental schemes abandoned as quickly as they were imposed; contradictory directives; and a constant, predatory guiding principle-persisting despite the dizzying turnover of ministers-to tailor the education system to the needs of capital rather than those of students and staff.
This destructive policy has had immediate and tragic consequences-particularly during work placements-resulting in numerous injuries and even deaths among students. These tragedies are not isolated accidents but symptoms of a system that chooses to put its youth (especially those from working-class neighborhoods) at risk to satisfy the demands of the business world. While EVARS programs are robustly designed-thanks to union advocacy-and finally implemented in schools to foster equality between girls, boys, and gender minorities, the lack of allocated time or resources is regrettable; budgets and the "Pass Culture" are insufficient, placing a heavy burden on the shoulders of the staff members who volunteer to run them.
This decade has also been marked by populist and reactionary announcements, such as the so-called return of school uniforms (an experiment quietly abandoned) or the intolerance and contempt shown toward spelling and syntax errors in the Baccalauréat exams-using them as a tool to police staff during grading... The national education system deserves better than constant PR stunts!
What's new for the start of the school year?
June and the summer months brought a climate shock: five heatwaves, devastating forest fires, and entire regions left to fend for themselves. The most vulnerable populations were the first to be exposed, confirming that the ecological crisis is also a social crisis.
In schools, the situation was-and is once again-untenable: classrooms turned into ovens, staff and students suffering, and a complete lack of foresight or serious measures. Yet, the end of the previous school year had already sounded the alarm with its own heatwaves. Nothing was done. Buildings remain unsuitable, protocols are non-existent, and the State continues to deny the climate reality that has long been predicted. And now we learn that the heatwave plan-intended to adapt schools-has just had its budget cut by 40 million euros, just as yet another heatwave is approaching!
Right up to the end of its term, the Ministry of National Education has demonstrated how little regard it has for the health and safety of its staff. With the protection of our digital data neglected, that data now circulates in opaque markets, exposing staff to risks of fraud, harassment, and surveillance. As usual, the institution's response is woefully inadequate. There is no acceptance of responsibility, no guarantee of future security, and no plan for redress. Should we be surprised?
Starting this September, the ban on mobile phones in high schools is being touted as a flagship measure. To us, it is nothing but a smokescreen-a dismal diversion intended to mask the massive deterioration of teaching conditions: overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings, staff shortages, and rising student distress. They claim to be solving a problem by banning an object, yet what students need is breathing room, support, and resources-not another punitive measure! And the irony is complete: the institution itself has made mobile phones indispensable through platforms like Pronote and the digital tools imposed on families.
In the same vein, the new, mandatory November 11th commemorative ceremony is part of a worrying trend. Under the guise of "remembrance work," students are subjected to a morbid celebration-a ritual that, far from warning against the horrors of war, actually glorifies military sacrifice and seeks to instill a cult of martyrs. This mandate is part of the militarization of youth that we have been denouncing since the disastrous SNU experiment and the more recent "defense classes" initiative.
The State claims it wants to familiarize young people with national defense. We reply that our schools are not recruitment offices! We would prefer to see these funds and this energy directed toward the ecological and social challenges that lie ahead. We want to build a future based on solidarity, inhabited by free, critical, and emancipated citizens-not by subjects disciplined for the logic of war.
For us, the only slogan that matters when thinking about November 11th is: "Cursed be war!"
So, what do we do now?
Like any presidential election year, 2027 promises to be a pivotal moment. But let us make no mistake: while we welcome the end of a decade of Macronism in our schools, we do not believe in a "savior" figure-male or female. We will fight against any reactionary agenda from the right or far right, but we also remember the various reforms enacted by those on the "Left" who tried to lull us into complacency with promises they never kept. Now more than ever, let us defend democratic values and solidarity, and hold the line against fascism. In schools, as elsewhere, we are the ones doing the work-so we are the ones who decide!
https://educ.cnt-so.org/article/communique-de-rentree-26-27/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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