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What on earth is going on?


Kitty
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Two of my teenage children are educated at a lycee near Bordeaux.  Last Thursday, there had been major disruption at one of the technical schools near them because pupils are angry about educational changes to the BEP/BacPro exam system.  They are going on strike and have been damaging school property.  So a decision was taken to close all the technical schools (including my children's) in the area for one day (Friday).

Yesterday (Monday), a gang of pupils from another school tried to ransack the gate of my children's school as a political protest and the gendarmes were called.  Then, at my children's boarding school last night, their gates were barracaded to prevent any further disruption from disaffected pupils (from other educational establishments).

Incredible.  How intimidating.  What is happening here in France?  How on earth can teenage pupils go on strike?  They are only going to damage their own education.  They are copying the example of the adults, including large numbers of teachers. who were on strike recently.

I am not sure what to think.

 

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It's nothing compared to 2005.  I worked in a city centre lycée that year and we couldn't get out one day because of the protests, and another day we had to shut all the shutters because stones were being thrown. A couple of days running we had the CRS at the entrance.  I always think students striking is ridiculous, because they aren't getting paid, so there is not so much at stake.  It is even more ridiculous when it is the lycéens.  I don't mind the protests so much, as the idea that they go on strike. That said, it is the student protests that have changed things in France in the past, they also have the least to loose.

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Unfortunately, this happens every couple of years. My son got caught up in the teacher and student strikes of 2003 when in his Terminale year. My daughter was caught up in the 2005 strikes when in Seconde. Both told me that it is the militant few who stir up the trouble. Other students just follow along lemming fashion, others see it as a good way of taking the day off and the ones that want to be educated stay in school and continue with their lessons!!

One point, in the 2005 strikes when both teachers and pupils were striking and barricading the schools, at Lycee Maine de Biran in Bergerac (where son was in Terminale at the time and daughter is now in Terminale) the teachers made sure that the Terminale students were given their lessons even though it meant they had to break their strike. At least they did care enough not to affect the chances of these students passing their Bacs. Unfortunately though, not all the Terminale students bothered to turn up for their lessons!!!

Lucinda 

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What disappoints me is that by reacting to Thursday's trouble and closing all the schools on Friday, the pupils 'won'.  They should have stepped up security and shown that violence is not to be tolerated.  If it has happened in previous years, they should have a plan.

 

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[quote user="Cathy"]

What is happening here in France?  How on earth can teenage pupils go on strike?  They are only going to damage their own education.  They are copying the example of the adults, including large numbers of teachers. who were on strike recently.

I am not sure what to think.

[/quote]

Welcome to France, it used to be only Universities that were "politicised", but there seems to have been some radicalisation and contagion to the lycées lately.

We used to be if not sympathetic, at least indulgent to the strikers, but that is changing mostly due to thugish behavior and over the top radicalism.

Having said that, we like our politics hot and spicy, must be the Latin roots that stir from time to time.

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When was the last time British teachers went on strike?  I was talking to a teacher friend of mine on the telephone today and she thinks that there might have been one about 14 years ago.  Have British pupils ever been on strike?

How often do French teachers strike?  About twice per year?

The French pupils are only copying their masters.  It's a great shame and it makes me very sad.

 

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Nothing new really. Barricading Lycées and Unis goes on all the time. My son has just had his uni fac opened again after two weeks of barricading with furniture over possible privatisation next year. All the students have to have the internet now so the head of the fac sent everyone an e.mail asking them to return to classes and try to stop the trouble. Last year it was the same at the local Lycée but thankfully after six weeks of no classes my son passed his BacPro but not after the parents took to fighting the gendarmes to remove all the barricades as the majority really wanted to return to school. The unions that the teachers belong to are very powerful so when a strike is called their member usually obey.
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I didn't realise that in the UK when the teachers go on strike, all the teachers go on strike if their union tells them to (this was just explained to me recently).  Here it is completely different, you gon on strike when the unions have given their warning if you want to, but you can do this if you are in the union or if you aren't.  If you are in the union, you don't have to go out. 

Cathy, I don't agree that the lycéens go out on strike because the teachers do. I don't think teachers have that much influence, and certainly not more than the parents.  I think they are far more likely to be influenced by the students at the universities. 

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I teach English in a lycée pro, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment on this.  First of all, I don't think the students are just following the teachers lead - it seems more like going on strike at least once during your lycée career (and again later on at uni) is a rite of passage - it's just something that's done.

As to why the lycée pro kids are striking this time around - the gov decided to get rid of the BEP and have everyone just do a Bac+3.  What's the big deal you may ask?  Well, for starters, it's sad to say, but not all French students are capable of passing the Bac.  The BEP at least gives them some kind of a professional diploma to leave school with, whereas if they take that away, those kids will have nothing.

Secondly, in the current system, most kids do a 2 year BEP and then go on to do 2 more years for a Bac Pro.   They want to take those four years and cut it down to three.  This in turn will cut a lot of jobs & probably force the closing of some smaller schools (including the one where I currently work).  It will also mean that the students will only have three years to learn what they used to learn in four, which in turn means that some of the subject matter will have to be forgotten.  This will lead to less opportunities for specializations within each of the "metiers" and means that the diplomas will become more generalized and thus worth less to future employers, so either the student will have to pay for a supplementary training course following the Bac, or that cost will fall on the employer.

The last issue is that there are currently around 70+ Bac Pro, and they want to cut this number down to roughly 35, which again, will lead to loss of jobs and the loss of some of the more specialized Bac Pro diplomas.  Last Thursday, the gov conceded and said they would keep the BEP (for now), but that they are still pushing ahead with the Bac+3 reforms, which is why many of my students are still on strike (that, and they all had a bunch of exams scheduled for today, LOL!!)

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Exactly what my son has done. BEP first to get the minimum qualification to work in that trade and then passing it enabled him to have the confidence to do another two years for the BAC Pro which was ten times harder and many fell by the wayside as the technical maths was very hard but he passed with a high score thankfully enabling him to enrol in UBO this year but in a completely different subject. I have seen so many of his old collège friends just opt out of everything and literally hang around doing menial part time jobs and getting very down as there is nothing out there for the young especially in rural and fishing communes like ours.
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So the pupils are not copying their teachers?  So they may be following the lead of university students?  Whatever.  I still find it surprising that teachers, students and pupils go on strike so often in France.  And so soon after electing a new President on a large turn-out.  Whether or not you agree with him, he has a mandate.

It makes me feel sad for France because they are going to lose competitive edge in today's global market.

But, hey ho, there are worse things to worry about...

 

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