This Tuesday, January 21, at the Albert Camus college in Ris-Orangis, in Essonne, a “dead college” operation was organized to denounce the overcrowding of the establishment, as well as the dilapidation of certain classrooms.
Anger at the Albert Camus college in Ris-Orangis (Essone) this Tuesday, January 21 in the morning. A “dead college” operation was organized to denounce the overcrowding of the establishment and the dilapidation of the premises.
The cause: an excess of students, with more than 1,000 registered for an initial capacity of only 700 or even poorly designed prefabs, leaving some students to work in classes where the temperature sometimes drops below 10°C.
Teachers, local elected officials and parents of students have mobilized to denounce these conditions. Teachers, like students, have to face difficult working conditions, forcing them to keep their warm clothes on during classes.
“It’s very complicated because sometimes we have to keep our coats on, our gloves on… It’s difficult to concentrate,” a student confides to BFMTV.
Another deplores: “we need to improve the college like renovating the buildings and the classrooms. The college is much too dirty for my taste.”
Cockroaches, mice…
In these prefabs where constant cold reigns, unsanitary conditions set in, giving way to an unenviable ecosystem. Pests find refuge in classrooms.
“It’s very cold, we’re treated to frost. When it rains, humidity seeps in. We’re treated to greenery, small snails, cockroaches, mice. A whole bunch of little animals that are very nice, but who would be better outside than in the prefabs”, tells Nathalie Payet Macquet, president of the elected parents of students, to BFM Paris Île-de-France.
“As soon as it thaws, everything is wet. So to work, put down a notebook, your book, it becomes very complicated,” she adds again.
-Five closed prefabs
In addition to school overcrowding, ongoing work is making the situation worse. Of the ten prefabs that the college had, only five remain functional, the others having been closed due to the subsidence of their slab.
“There are also problems with the buildings. There are five prefabs which are currently closed, since the slab they were in has collapsed. The other five prefabs which were installed for us two years ago years have faulty heating in certain classes”, laments Nathalie Payet Macquet.
Added to this are several problems related to sanitation. “There are very few of them, they are not maintained. The doors are broken. Some students hold back from going to the toilet all day,” she continues.
No response from the administration
Despite the seriousness of the situation, parents, teachers and elected officials say they have received no response from the administration. Several letters were sent, including jointly with the town hall, but to no effect.
“Even when we call them, we get sent to pasture,” says the president of the parents’ association.
In the middle of the day, the operation was to gather in front of the Departmental Council, to request a meeting with the administration.
Clémence Renard, Nicolas Duverger with Alexandre Simoes
