Four thousand fewer teaching positions: unions denounce a “bleeding”
“A real sangria”TO “public school baudillo” : The elimination of 4,000 teaching positions in the national education budget for 2025, mainly in nursery and primary schools, scandalized unions who were no longer convinced by the first steps of the new minister, Anne Genetet. Rue de Grenelle justifies this drop in teaching positions by saying “the decline in student numbers, which is expected to accelerate with 97,000 fewer students at the start of the 2025 school year”.
The budget also provides for the financing of 2,000 additional workers to support students with disabilities (AESH). With an overall drop of around 2,000 positions, national education represents the majority of job cuts for State officials and their operators (2,201 in total).
Regarding the decrease in teaching positions, public primary education (preschool and primary) is the most affected with a drop of 3,155 positions. The public secondary level (middle and high schools) lost 180 places, the private primary level 660 and finally the private secondary level 40, according to the ministry.
Hardly had the budget been revealed than the teachers’ unions, no longer reassured by Anne Genetet’s lack of experience, let their anger explode. Guislaine David, general secretary of the National Unitary Union of Teachers, School Teachers and PEGC (SNUipp-FSU), the first union of nursery and primary schools, denounced a “public school baudillo” on the social network “But where is school given priority? »asked. “A monstrous bloodshed for national education”, “an absolute shame”deplored the National Union of Secondary Schools, Faculties, Schools and Higher Education (Snalc) in a press release. Sophie Vénétitay, president of the National Secondary Education Union (Snes-FSU), the first secondary education union, estimated “Michel Barnier sacrifices public schools. Unworthy and irresponsible! “. The general secretary of CFDT-Education, Catherine Nave-Bekhti, spoke to Agence France-Presse, “4,000 positions is huge. “We are literally going around, it is a scandal.”.
The unions periodically warn that the declared objective of putting a teacher in front of each class is far from being met and insist on the need to make the profession more attractive, while more than 3,000 positions were left vacant during the public and private competition this year. “And at the same time as these cuts, we are asking kindergarten or elementary school teachers to set a goal of including students with disabilities. They tell us about 2,000 more positions in the AESH but we know very well that no one wants to practice this profession if it is not sufficiently remunerated”pointed out M.me Nave-Bekhti.
Last year, the 2024 finance bill provided for the elimination of 2,500 teaching positions, also justified by the demographic decline, estimated by the ministry at 83,000 fewer students at the beginning of the 2024 school year, in application of the so-called reform of education. “knowledge shock”Gabriel Attal had decided to cancel the elimination of the 484 positions planned in secondary education and create 574.
These additional teaching positions should make it possible to prioritize the creation of level groups in French and mathematics. Previously, the state had eliminated 1,500 positions in 2023 and nearly 2,000 positions in 2022.
The education budget for 2025 amounts to 63 billion euros, generally stable compared to 2024. The ministry highlights an increase of “834 million euros” compared to the 2024 budget that was in place when Anne Genetet, appointed in September, took office. But this increase is actually more modest if we compare it with the original budget voted a year ago, because in the meantime the allocation was reduced by about 700 million euros in February. The ministry assures that “the school will continue to be the first budget of the nation”.
“Rebel” leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon also reacted strongly to X: “4,000 fewer positions in education. After spreading misery, here is the organization of ignorance. “This budget is a calamity.”he protested.
