Voices on the left and in MoDem, as well as teachers' unions, denounced on Saturday Nicolas Sarkozy's “contempt” for school teachers who, according to the former president, only work “six months a year”.
“I'm told 'there aren't enough civil servants in National Education', but that's incredible demagoguery. The status of school teacher, […] it’s 24 hours a week” and “6 months of the year,” said the former President of the Republic during a conference in Saint-Raphaël in the Var on Friday evening.
“There are hundreds of thousands of competent, dedicated and wonderful teachers. And there are some who choose the job for the wrong reasons,” added the former leader of the UMP (right).
“We do not have the means to have a million teachers,” said Nicolas Sarkozy, boasting of having reduced the number of civil servants by 150,000 when he was at the Elysée.
The boss of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure denounced on the social network our children are often far too numerous in a class.”
The PS mayor of Montpellier and professor of history and geography Michaël Delafosse considered these comments “dismaying” while “teachers need consideration”, to be “supported in the face of all attempts to destabilize secularism, in the face of violence”, demanding that we “stem the spiral of downgrading by ensuring adequate remuneration”.
The MoDem deputy from Doubs Laurent Croizier suggested to the ex-president to go and work “for a week in a nursery school”. “Your words are abysmally ignorant. They are part of the crisis in the attractiveness of the teaching profession. For our children, choose education rather than contempt from teachers,” he added.
“Unbearable”, protested the first primary union FSU-SNuipp. Nicolas Sarkozy “insults the educational community” and through them “the students and parents of students whom he despises,” said his spokesperson Guislaine David.
“Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, school teachers are annoying you and the 800,000 teachers,” responded the Les Stylos Rouges collective. This group, which wants to bring forward the demands of National Education agents, also makes irony about the numerous trials initiated against the former head of state.
