Strike in schools: “I am not perfect, I make mistakes”, concedes Jean-Michel Blanquer

“I’m not perfect”. Shaken by the massive mobilization of teachers against the health protocol in schools on Thursday, the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer made his my culpa, on France Info, this Friday morning. The day before, nearly 78,000 teachers and other professional staff beat the pavement against the waltz of health protocols in their establishments, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior. In the crowd, several “anti-Blanquer” slogans called for the resignation of the minister.

“We are all tired of this virus and it is normal for a weariness to be expressed, assured Jean-Michel Blanquer, in office since the start of the five-year term. I make mistakes, and I have no problem saying that I’m sorry about certain things, but it’s also important not to be in logic of excessive crystallization on a person “.

For the minister, “there is no ‘Blanquer problem'”. The old teacher highlights the collegial aspect of decision-making on health protocols. “It is the process that is like this, we refer to the public health council, then this gives a general protocol in the general population which we transpose”, he explains on France Info, also dismissing any “clash” with Olivier Veran. “There is discussion (…). It is normal that we have different points of view on several occasions. We have always settled them with great cordiality”, he commented.

Thursday evening, Jean-Michel Blanquer, together with Prime Minister Jean Castex and Olivier Véran, Minister of Health and Solidarity, received the teachers’ and parents’ unions. At the end of this interview, the Minister of National Education assured that he had “understood the ins and outs of this strong mobilization”.

He thus announced the distribution of five million FFP2 masks from next week, in particular for those who work with children without masks in kindergarten. At the same time, he declared the mobilization of 8,000 reinforcements, including 3,300 contractors to manage the health crisis, and recalled that the local authorities, competent in the matter, can apply for the fund set up by the State to obtain from “CO2 sensors”.