Education enters the campaign. All the candidates for the presidential election have now made known their program in this area. Between the salary demands of the educational staff, the desire to put the teaching of French and mathematics back at the heart of the programs or the financing of new apprenticeship places, the candidates are seizing the question and proposing numerous measures.
On the occasion of the release of our presidential Playlists (the one on education can be found by clicking here or at the bottom of this article), Europe 1 returns to the proposals of certain candidates.
Anne Hidalgo
If the candidate of the Socialist Party is elected, she will set up in each department a “mixed plan allowing to put an end to the colleges-ghettos”. Because for Anne Hidalgo, school diversity is essential.
To respond to the problem of school bullying, she promises to ensure “the application of a simple rule: any case of harassment, whether it takes place at school or online, must give rise to a response from the institution, through dialogue with the perpetrator of the harassment and, if necessary, through its sanction”.
It also proposes to abolish the Parcoursup post-baccalaureate platform and to increase the salaries of teachers.
Yannick Jadot
The candidate of Europe Écologie-Les Verts advocates a “major project of reconciliation around the school” with the hiring of 65,000 teaching posts in particular for kindergartens or to provide replacements. His program also confirms his wish to increase teachers’ salaries by 20% over the duration of the five-year term.
Yannick Jadot has announced that he wants to reduce the duration of school holidays, especially those in the summer. He also wants to “break with a culture of intensive learning and permanent assessment”, stressing that in France 73% of compulsory education time was devoted to so-called “fundamental” disciplines, compared to 50% in Europe. His project plans to do this to promote more for all students “practical learning that our society needs”: gardening, DIY, cooking…
John Lassalle
The candidate of the Résistons! also wishes to increase the salary of teachers, increasing it from 1,500 to 2,400 euros.
Like Emmanuel Macron, he wants to learn code and computer science, but from primary school, unlike the head of state who plans it from the 5th. Jean Lassalle also wishes to learn two living foreign languages or a foreign language and a regional one.
If he is elected, he will finance 300,000 more apprenticeship places with companies and will create a work-study program from the 4th year, one day a week.
Marine Le Pen
The candidate of the National Rally wishes to impose the return of the uniform in primary schools and colleges. Marine Le Pen also wants to “put back at the heart of the programs” the teaching of French, mathematics and history. One of its first measures will also be to raise teachers’ salaries by 5% per year.
Emmanuel Macron
For his part, the Head of State wishes to train a million apprentices in France. “You have to have courses in vocational high schools that correspond to needs. There are too many courses where there are no openings,” he explained.
Emmanuel Macron also wants to teach the language of computer code from 5th grade for those who wish, put mathematics back in the common core in high school and the baccalaureate and set up 30 minutes of sport per day from the start of the 2022 school year for primary schools.
Regarding the remuneration of teachers, he is more reserved than other candidates and conditions it on the “definition of new missions”.
Jean-Luc Melenchon
For the candidate of La France insoumise (LFI), strengthening the workforce in schools is his priority. He wants to recruit 160,000 teachers during his term, as well as 6,000 doctors, psychologists, nurses and 8,000 senior education advisers (CPE). With this, Jean-Luc Mélenchon also wants to reduce the number of students per class to reach an average of 19 students in priority education establishments in kindergarten.
If it offers free canteens, transport and school outings, it also announces the free distribution of textbooks and school supplies. As Anne Hidalgo envisages, Jean-Luc Mélenchon also wants to repeal Parcoursup.
Valerie Pécresse
A “national start for the school” is the watchword of the Republican candidate. Valérie Pécresse wishes to “raise the level” and for this, she proposes to introduce two hours of French and one hour of mathematics in addition per week in primary school. The president of the Île-de-France region also plans to introduce a college entrance exam to determine the level of students to create refresher classes for those who need them.
Regarding the workforce, Valérie Pécresse wants to hire 10,000 additional teachers and create a national education reserve made up of retired teachers, in particular to remedy the replacement of an absent teacher.
Fabien Roussel
He is certainly one of the only presidential candidates to propose this measure: that of increasing school time to 27 hours a week in primary school and 32 hours in college. But Fabien Roussel wants to be reassuring and ensures that the working time of teachers will not be increased. He also wants to abolish homework.
It also provides for the recruitment of 90,000 new teachers and the increase of teachers’ salaries by 30%. For this, if he is elected, he will increase the National Education budget by 45% from the first year of the five-year term.
Eric Zemmour
Reading, writing and arithmetic will be at the center of education if Éric Zemmour is elected. It also wishes to set up a certificate of studies at the end of primary school to measure these fundamental achievements.
The candidate of the Reconquest! wishes to create a large Ministry of Public Instruction and “prohibit all forms of ideological propaganda at school”. Other key proposals of the candidate: set up level classes in college and restore the scientific, economic and social as well as literary sectors in high school.
>> To get around the question, you can also listen to our Playlist here: