This Monday, June 24, teachers at the Jules-Fil high school in Carcassonne learned of the closure of one of the six General First classes, making it impossible to respond favorably to all assignment requests. Some students must move elsewhere, without guarantee.
“This is extremely serious, and it endangers the orientation of many students.” The SNES-FSU organized a press conference this weekend in its premises to denounce the elimination of a general first year class at the Jules-Fil high school in Carcassonne. “From January 2024, we, the teaching staff, begin to prepare for the following September intakeexplains Myriam Vialaneix, mathematics teacher at Jules-Fil high school, and representative of the SNES-FSU. We were then told that there were six classes in the general first year.
Thus, the high school plans to receive, at this level, students present in General Secondary within the establishment, and others who would come for “rare specialties”: engineering sciences (IS) or digital and sciences information technology (NSI). “This Monday, we learned from the rectorate that the sixth grade was closing, due to a drop in population, we were told. And two days later, we learned the results of the assignments: students were forgotten, with eleven students coming from the Paul-Sabatier high school to follow SI or NSI courses.”adds Myriam Vialaneix. “This is a very serious decision that we obviously contest.adds Dominique Corradin, physics-chemistry teacher at Jules-Fil high school, and present on the Union Jules Fil list. They change the rules without warning anyone, neither teachers nor parents.”.
The unions estimate that 190 students should start the Première générale at the Jules-Fil high school next September. As it stands, with five classes, there should be 38 students per class. With a sixth class, the number would drop to between 31 and 32.
“Unkept commitments”
“Upon his appointment, we had a discussion with Joël Laporte, academic director of the National Education services of Audeadds Myriam Vialaneix. He told us that sectors like SI were not attractive, but that if we did what was necessary to redress the situation, he would give us the means.” And Benoît Gasparotto, professor of IS, added: “Since then, the work has been done. We have visited many classes to make these sectors known. But today, the observation is there: the commitments have not been kept.”.
Dominique Corradin, professor of physics and chemistry, is looking for explanations. “For me, it’s simple, there is the desire to make this sector disappearshe says. We were supposed to have 17 students in SI next year, eight were rejected with this class closure. There will therefore be a class of nine students. The sector is in great danger”while it considers that this specialty can lead to moving towards good engineering schools, in mechanics or towards scientific BUTs. Thus, the teachers’ unions estimate that several parents of students have already planned to make an administrative appeal.
“There are regulations every year”
For Joël Laporte, academic director, these regulations take place every year. “This can give rise to closures as well as openings of classeshe specifies. I hear some say that we are putting Jules-Fil in danger compared to Paul-Sabatier: this is false. We also closed a second class at Paul-Sabatier. In both cases, I would do without it, and the idea remains not to exceed 35 students per class”. And to add: “Concerning the IT sector, we have no interest in weakening it. This sector is supported locally, and it will continue to do so.”.
