It is fashionable now to the singing of the hymn "Education unreformable''a major in the Air Opera Bouffe Nicolas Sarkozy's attempt to appear as the master of the''movement''and to confine its opponents in the camp" conservative''.
May 10, 2008. Le Figaro: "I will not the umpteenth minister to give, I'll be the Prime Minister to take the right course of reform! " ignites Darcos. And continue bravado, noting that " France is the only country in the world where Pupils parade through the streets every fifteen months ": " once the banners,''rhymes with bones' ' style Darcos''Galapagos''or''Darcos the bush in the bone'' rows, what will he? A buffoonery! They can march, but all this is useless .
Five days later, Florian Lecoutre, president of the National Union schoolgirl (an organization very involved in high school events) will sign "The World "of 15 May 2008 an open forum that pointed" the reasons for the anger blind deletions of positions of teachers who turn their backs on a true educational ambition .
But the most significant (and more important for the sequel, we shall see) is that the president of the UNL was to assert that " Pupils are not conservatives; the contrary, they are demanding reforms . "And he even specified the proposals made by its organization: " strengthening the link between secondary and higher education, a real public service Guidance can provide free information and quality for all students, the school combines the versatile vocational, technological and general in the same institution, and walkways; interdisciplinary pedagogy, a utility that helps school allows families to avoid the use private sector to ensure the missions of the school, an overhaul of school timetables and programs, a new architecture for the evaluation and examination of the tank .
A year has passed. Xavier Darcos announced from 15 December 2008 to one year postponement of the high school reform by stating that he must "start from scratch " (although, only yesterday, he detailed in "The Journal Sunday " the reform of the second class scheduled for fall 2009, and he said a few days earlier with superb that it would not - he - like many others, " the Minister of National hesitation").
Then, January 12, 2009, in his personal greetings to''Education'', Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he confided to Richard Descoings (the Director of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris) a Mission analysis, comprehension, listening and proposal "on high school reform.
same time, there has been a series of proclamations in a climbdown on the issue of removing positions in high school. On April 24, 2008, in a television performance noticed Nicolas Sarkozy had said that although this is not the job cuts that would require reform, but " reforms that would make the job cuts . However, when the school year 2009, Xavier Darcos said that "since we will start a reform school, [his] desire is that non-renewal of position affect the least possible in 2009 the supply of educational school. Then, 12 January 2009, Nicolas Sarkozy makes a commitment (as''solemn'' as new) no redundancy in high schools, will result from the reform to come ... And it is stated that "the rate mentoring of students by teachers will be exactly the same as it was ago.
But at the same time, a new air also can be heard when it comes to stigmatize those who refuse the''reforms''by presenting them as champions of the status quo'''' and''conservative.'' The'''' unions''and the''left, attacking the reforms (government) would ipso facto followers of''stagnation''and''conservative''camp.
Nicolas Sarkozy does not hesitate to deal with this subject abroad, as during his press conference in Spain on April 28: "The question not played on a left-right divide and the question is played on a different cleavage, the immobile and the Conservatives on one side and move and change the other . Thus it means "to move the lines (and benchmarks).
In this partition, the reforms attempted in Education play a special role, not only because it is seen by the right as a stronghold of the left, but also because the theme of Education unreformable''national''is recurring for many years.
already fifteen years ago, in "The World " 5 February 1994, François Bayrou denounced the " danger" of a possible fragmentation of the education system if proved unreformable " The real danger is the idea that the National Education would unreformable. If that idea eventually won, then one day, someone left or right , decides to break up the institution to make it more adaptable, more flexible, transformable .
Like him right, Claude Allegre (very embittered because of his reform missed the school) said in "Le Nouvel Observateur of 6 April 2000, just days after his ouster from the Ministry of National Education "Any reform Education for decentralization and greater involvement of users and elected officials: we must give to local schools, colleges, departments, colleges regions. Personal understood.
Above all, we should not forget that a certain Nicolas Sarkozy, a few months later (December 2, 2000) went so far as to propose a referendum (a sign of the importance he attaches to this option) with question would be: " Are you for or against the regionalization of Education? " (Noting that the State would continue to ensure the empowerment of diplomas and training of teachers).
we have seen, and it is time to measure its importance: while the National Union and the event schoolgirl schoolgirls have played a major role in the "back to zero ' high school reform and the setbacks on the issue of job cuts, the university has stated resolutely non-conservative party committed to help reform the educational system, especially at the high school (which is central to the device French education).
It is therefore not surprising that it countersigned by mid-January 2009 (with many other educational organizations and some of the teachers' unions) a unitary text with the main areas of possible reform (see my note of January 16, 2009).
Richard Descoings, after four months of consultations (three days per week in high schools) said he now ready to submit its recommendations to the school to the end of May. The Department of Education, we are talking about October for the final report. Which reacted Director of Sciences Po "It makes no sense, except to put the government in the same precipitation than last year." For some, would it not indeed urgent to wait, then left to''rush''? While reform or no reform? And which one? Desired scope and indeed by whom?
