Emmanuel Macron has promised schools greater autonomy to carry out school programs. And the consultations supposed to define these projects will take place from October in each establishment from October.
The idea is to put the “mission and professions” of National Education personnel “at the heart of the life of the Nation”. To do this, the Elysée is betting on a flagship measure: giving greater autonomy to schools in order to define their educational project.
In a letter sent this Friday to the staff of National Education, Emmanuel Macron set a first horizon to achieve this goal. He thus announced the launch of consultations in “each school, each college, each high school” from October.
round table
The President of the Republic thus undertakes: “As of October, we will launch everywhere in France this site of the refoundation of the school by proposing to each school, each college, each high school which wishes it to build a project its own by putting everyone around the table”.
He also specifies the round table, inviting “heads of establishments, school principals, teachers and the entire educational community, parents of students, students, associative or economic partners, and elected officials local authorities” to sit there.
It is not a question, however, of dislocating the programs, which will remain national. “It is of course up to the national level to set the objectives of the programs, that is to say the knowledge to be transmitted and their purposes”, explains Emmanuel Macron.
Assuring to promote a new “educational freedom”, the Head of State continues: “But it will now be up to the local level to choose the means of this transmission, through appropriate methods and projects.”
Ringing and stumbling promises
He also confirms that the said “suitable projects” will be financed to the tune of 500 million euros by an educational innovation fund. The Ministry will pilot these experiments.
“You will also be supported by your rectorate which will put all its expertise at your service to discuss your ideas and help you implement them. The central administration will have a dedicated team which will be able to pool best practices by making them known at the national level, without however erecting them into new imposed models”, points out the Head of State in this regard.
In the ray of the proofs of love supposed to give back to the teachers of the heart to the work, Emmanuel Macron recalls his will to revalorize the teachers: “The salary of the teachers will thus have increased by approximately 10% and no teacher will start his career unless of 2,000 euros net from the start of the 2023 school year”.
“All teachers who so wish will be able to engage in additional missions, for example replacement, individualized follow-up, support for orientation or professional integration or coordination tasks. This work, that many of you are already doing, will now be recognized and remunerated. The salary increase for teachers who accept this pact could thus be up to 20%”, he adds.
Reminders
Because apart from the October meeting, Emmanuel Macron’s text aims above all to reiterate the device unveiled on August 25, in front of the rectors gathered at the Sorbonne, to “refound the school”.
And the measures envisaged do not only concern teachers. Turning towards the students, Emmanuel Macron spells out in his letter his intentions regarding their classes. “In elementary school, we will continue to emphasize fundamental learning and we will generalize the daily practice of sport,” he says.
He also has his projects for secondary school, starting with college: “We will organize in 6th grade a more effective link with the first degree so that everyone feels better supported in this important transition”.
“We will also create, from the 5th, a weekly ‘future half-day’ which will awaken vocations and improve their orientation”, continues Emmanuel Macron.
Finally, after having mentioned the extension of the Culture Pass to middle school students from the 6th year, he reiterated his wish to “strengthen the fight against school bullying which does so much harm to our children and which very often puts them in check”. As for high schools, he wants to “consolidate mathematics in the common core”, and insists above all on his objective of making vocational high schools “a path of choice and successful professional integration”.
Refound the school: Macron announces the launch of consultations in each establishment from October