“There will be a teacher in front of each class“, affirmed the government at the start of the 2024 school year. However, there are many of them missing in Gironde, according to the parents of students. Since the start of the school year, they have strongly denounced cases of vacant or stopped teaching positions, but not filled: St-Loubès, Langon, Blanquefort, Mios, Libourne or even Bordeaux The department's Federation of Parents' Councils (FCPE) therefore carried out a survey in the middle of the month.
Although not exhaustive, at least 49 teachers would be missing in Gironde, all levels combined – first degree, middle school and high school – according to the first responses collected.
Maths and French are struggling
The positions the most deserted: mathematics, French and languagesespecially in college. So much so that emails were sent by the rectorate to master's students so that they could provide hours, according to the SNES-FSU of Gironde teachers. A difficult situation to bear at Jules Ferry college in Langon, in the south of the department. Last year, a French teacher was absent throughout the year.
Since the start of the school year, it is a mathematics teacher on sick leave who has not been replaced: his position must nevertheless ensure 19.5 hours of work per week, with 6th, 5th and 3rd grade classes according to the Langon FCPE.
Anxieties of students and their parents
A lack which directly impacts the parents of students and their children enrolled in the establishment. In front of the gates of Jules Ferry, Sonia Perrault, elected FCPE, shows the two letters she sent to the rectorate. His son Eder is in 5th grade and he hasn't had maths lessons since the start of the school year: “We have to go to study, work on other courses“After two months, even these students who were not fans of the subject became worried,”because you can do a lot of things with math. First in everyday life, but also if you want to become an engineer for example“.
A concern widely shared by her mother and other parents, explains Sonia: “I refuse to take the private lessons solution. Because I believe that it is up to National Education to fulfill its role. But I know that parents do it, because they are in a stressful situation, especially those whose children are in 3rd grade: there is the fear that their child will not have the certificate.”
Another fear for the mother of five children: that of additional inequalities for this rural area, “where access to education is not as easy as in the city“. Because the absence of notes can play a role in the rest of the course: “These shortcomings will never be made up for. For those who have the means it will go very well, for others these hours are definitely lost.“
Everyone on edge
Consequence: nerves are on edge, to the point of causing tension between parents and the teaching team. Sandra is a concerned mother: “No one can tell us how to resolve this situation. Yes, that worries me a lot, because it's still mathematics, it's really a subject that can follow our children far away, it's discouraging to see that in 2024!“Parents who do not rule out sending the State to the administrative court.
Because they are not only throwing stones at the rectorate, the latter having followed the file and made it possible to propose 5 candidates according to them. Except that the selected candidates would not have given any further news afterwards. Parents especially ask to the government to provide the means. They propose to list these teacher shortages on the website “oùyapascours.fr“.
On the side of some teachers, even weariness. Sophie has been a literature teacher for 9 years at Jules Ferry college. The administration was able to ask the teachers present to replace these absences, by giving their lessons to the students, which the interested parties refused. “Those who are in place don't have timeexplains Sophie. They already have classes to take on and they are told that it is easy to pass on the lessons and fill the gap. Except that it is not up to us to insure for a system that does not work. It was a team decision to say no.“
When contacted, the rectorate did not respond to our requests, mainly because most of the relevant contacts were not available during this school holiday period.
