The Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer said on Tuesday “to regret the symbolism” of his vacation in Ibiza, from where he announced the health protocol in schools before the start of the school year in January, information which has drawn strong criticism . “It turns out that the place I chose, I should probably have chosen another one. The symbolism, I regret it”, admitted the minister during the session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, the day after Mediapart revealed that he was in Ibiza when he announced his controversial protocol, information confirmed by the ministry.
“Did I have the right to take a few days off?”
The Minister had previously asked three questions in his defense. “Was I allowed to take a few days off after this year? Are there any meetings or items I had to do during this time that I didn’t do because of that? Of course not,” he said. “And thirdly, would the decisions have been different if I had been elsewhere? Not either”, he added, before continuing: “There is, I recognize, a symbolism”. “As for the rest, for two years with the majority, with my teams, with all the teachers in France, we have held the open school policy. That is what is essential, and let’s not get lost in the ‘accessory,’ he added.
The revelation by Mediapart of Jean-Michel Blanquer’s stay in Ibiza when he revealed to the Parisian the new – and controversial – health protocol for schools, on the eve of the start of the new school year in January, sparked a wave of criticism, weakening the Minister of Education already damaged by a very well-attended strike. The left called again for his resignation, while the teachers’ unions, indignant, pointed to a “terrible symbol”.