The president of France,
Francois Hollande issued a decree recently which will increase the school week
for children of the ages 3 to 11. This decision has caused a lot of turmoil
within the educational community, inciting "a wave of protest from France's
powerful teachers unions, parents associations and city government." So,
why all the fuss?
Traditionally (for over a
century), French schools mandated lengthy school days during the week with
Wednesdays as a day off - sort of a midweek break. This was originally built
into the week so that students could do their catechism studies (a concession
to the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the creation of free universal
public schools in 1882). The new decree would require dissolution of the
midweek break and the addition of a half school day on Wednesdays. This move by
the president is an attempt to help improve the "middling
performance" of French students.
Critics of the adjustment
claim there needs to be a pedagogical plan in place, not just an extension in
hours. They argue that French students already spend more hours in the
classroom on average than other European schoolchildren. And yet they still
rank 21st, 22nd, and 27th in reading, math,
and science according to a survey done by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development. Critics are calling for a comprehensive plan which
addresses fundamental concerns, “like how and what French children are taught,
how best to allocate limited education resources and how to recruit and retain
better teachers.”
The president’s plan has been
heavily criticized for its blatant lack of teacher, parent, or local government
input. The result: massive teacher protests. Last month, 90 percent of Paris
elementary school teachers walked out, and joined a march consisting of
thousands of parents and concerned citizens. The whole debacle could end up
disgracing newly elected president Hollande whose approval rating is already
hovering around the 44 percentile mark.
Jeff Chilcott
2/15/13
4:54PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/world/europe/12iht-france12.html?ref=internationaleducation&_r=0
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