France's education system grapples with staff shortages
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00:00 There were high expectations at the start of the academic year in France.
00:04 The education minister, at the time now the prime minister, promised all schools in the
00:09 country would be fully staffed.
00:12 From the new school year, there will be one teacher in front of each student.
00:15 We're prepared.
00:17 But Gabrielle Attal's lofty promises have remained just that.
00:21 For years, the French education system has been struggling with staffing shortages, frustrating
00:26 parents, teachers and students alike.
00:29 At this school in the city of Toulouse, parents attach ribbons to the gates, symbolizing each
00:34 day each child isn't taught.
00:37 It impacts their learning, the atmosphere at school, inside the household.
00:42 We're all starting to get worried.
00:46 In January, France's new prime minister named Amélie Oudéa Castera as his replacement
00:50 in the education ministry.
00:53 But her appointment quickly caused a storm after she defended her decision to send her
00:57 children to private school.
01:00 After protesting over pay and working conditions, the new nomination was yet another reason
01:05 for teachers to take to the streets.
01:07 They allege the government's planned reforms for the next academic year, which includes
01:11 experimenting with uniforms, drama classes and learning the national anthem, don't meet
01:16 their pressing needs.
01:17 There are a lot of positions that are unfilled.
01:21 There's a crisis in the sector.
01:24 It's harder for children to concentrate.
01:26 We have interesting suggestions to provide, but the problem is we aren't listened to.
01:32 Oudéa Castera lasted in her role as education minister for exactly a month.
01:38 With staffing shortages in French schools still an issue, the government recently announced
01:43 measures to simplify requirements for teacher training.
01:47 The ultimate goal when this plan is in place is to provide better training, anticipate
01:51 what the country needs, and recruit as many people as possible right after high school,
01:56 reducing the need to recruit contract workers.
01:59 Last week, the French state was condemned by a court for hours of lost learning by students
02:04 in Versailles.
02:06 And while the 150 euros awarded to each plaintiff was largely symbolic, it's an acknowledgement
02:11 of the state's failure.
02:13 Each year, 15 million hours of teaching are lost in France due to a school's inability
02:18 to find a substitute.
02:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]