A-Infos (en) France, CNT-SO: Start of the 2026-27 Academic Year: Statement (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

A new term and a reckoning - Emmanuel Macron will soon leave the 
presidency after a decade spent exacerbating inequalities. He will leave 
behind a country drained of its vitality and plagued by social 
inequalities at their highest level in 30 years (according to INSEE). 
Young workers have been particularly hard hit by "supply-side" policies; 
far from stemming the drift toward voting for the RN (National Rally), 
the bridges to far-right ideas have actually never been stronger, fueled 
by the reactionary logic pervasive in the Macron era.

This final back-to-school period of the grim Macron decade marks the end 
of an era of ultra-liberal policies that have weakened the education 
system, public services, and hard-won social rights. This return to 
school is not merely an administrative milestone; it symbolizes 
political choices aimed at undermining workers.

Ten years of reforms-but with what results?

These ten years of education policy have left a devastated landscape: 
botched, rushed counter-reforms; experimental schemes abandoned as 
quickly as they were imposed; contradictory directives; and a constant, 
predatory guiding principle-persisting despite the dizzying turnover of 
ministers-to tailor the education system to the needs of capital rather 
than those of students and staff.

This destructive policy has had immediate and tragic 
consequences-particularly during work placements-resulting in numerous 
injuries and even deaths among students. These tragedies are not 
isolated accidents but symptoms of a system that chooses to put its 
youth (especially those from working-class neighborhoods) at risk to 
satisfy the demands of the business world. While EVARS programs are 
robustly designed-thanks to union advocacy-and finally implemented in 
schools to foster equality between girls, boys, and gender minorities, 
the lack of allocated time or resources is regrettable; budgets and the 
"Pass Culture" are insufficient, placing a heavy burden on the shoulders 
of the staff members who volunteer to run them.

This decade has also been marked by populist and reactionary 
announcements, such as the so-called return of school uniforms (an 
experiment quietly abandoned) or the intolerance and contempt shown 
toward spelling and syntax errors in the Baccalauréat exams-using them 
as a tool to police staff during grading... The national education 
system deserves better than constant PR stunts!

What's new for the start of the school year?

June and the summer months brought a climate shock: five heatwaves, 
devastating forest fires, and entire regions left to fend for 
themselves. The most vulnerable populations were the first to be 
exposed, confirming that the ecological crisis is also a social crisis.

In schools, the situation was-and is once again-untenable: classrooms 
turned into ovens, staff and students suffering, and a complete lack of 
foresight or serious measures. Yet, the end of the previous school year 
had already sounded the alarm with its own heatwaves. Nothing was done. 
Buildings remain unsuitable, protocols are non-existent, and the State 
continues to deny the climate reality that has long been predicted. And 
now we learn that the heatwave plan-intended to adapt schools-has just 
had its budget cut by 40 million euros, just as yet another heatwave is 
approaching!

Right up to the end of its term, the Ministry of National Education has 
demonstrated how little regard it has for the health and safety of its 
staff. With the protection of our digital data neglected, that data now 
circulates in opaque markets, exposing staff to risks of fraud, 
harassment, and surveillance. As usual, the institution's response is 
woefully inadequate. There is no acceptance of responsibility, no 
guarantee of future security, and no plan for redress. Should we be 
surprised?

Starting this September, the ban on mobile phones in high schools is 
being touted as a flagship measure. To us, it is nothing but a 
smokescreen-a dismal diversion intended to mask the massive 
deterioration of teaching conditions: overcrowded classrooms, 
dilapidated buildings, staff shortages, and rising student distress. 
They claim to be solving a problem by banning an object, yet what 
students need is breathing room, support, and resources-not another 
punitive measure! And the irony is complete: the institution itself has 
made mobile phones indispensable through platforms like Pronote and the 
digital tools imposed on families.

In the same vein, the new, mandatory November 11th commemorative 
ceremony is part of a worrying trend. Under the guise of "remembrance 
work," students are subjected to a morbid celebration-a ritual that, far 
from warning against the horrors of war, actually glorifies military 
sacrifice and seeks to instill a cult of martyrs. This mandate is part 
of the militarization of youth that we have been denouncing since the 
disastrous SNU experiment and the more recent "defense classes" initiative.

The State claims it wants to familiarize young people with national 
defense. We reply that our schools are not recruitment offices! We would 
prefer to see these funds and this energy directed toward the ecological 
and social challenges that lie ahead. We want to build a future based on 
solidarity, inhabited by free, critical, and emancipated citizens-not by 
subjects disciplined for the logic of war.

For us, the only slogan that matters when thinking about November 11th 
is: "Cursed be war!"

So, what do we do now?

Like any presidential election year, 2027 promises to be a pivotal 
moment. But let us make no mistake: while we welcome the end of a decade 
of Macronism in our schools, we do not believe in a "savior" figure-male 
or female. We will fight against any reactionary agenda from the right 
or far right, but we also remember the various reforms enacted by those 
on the "Left" who tried to lull us into complacency with promises they 
never kept. Now more than ever, let us defend democratic values and 
solidarity, and hold the line against fascism. In schools, as elsewhere, 
we are the ones doing the work-so we are the ones who decide!

https://educ.cnt-so.org/article/communique-de-rentree-26-27/
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