health

More than 2,000 principals denounce threats and violence

More than 2,000 school principals have gathered across France to denounce threats and violence after weeks of tensions in schools across the country.

france, paris, ensemble, partout, montpellier, peur, proviseurs, familles

Key facts

  • More than 2,000 school heads are gathering across France to denounce the deterioration of their working conditions and the threats they face, after…
  • These gatherings, outside education authority offices or high schools, offer unprecedented images of principals who have come to voice their…
  • What is at stake is the very exercise of their role. In the processions, people stress that school heads represent authority within their high…

More than 2,000 school heads are gathering across France to denounce the deterioration of their working conditions and the threats they face, after several weeks of tensions and violence in schools.

These gatherings, outside education authority offices or high schools, offer unprecedented images of principals who have come to voice their exasperation. They are leaving their schools to assemble, notably in Montpellier, Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) and Paris.

What is at stake is the very exercise of their role. In the processions, people stress that school heads represent authority within their high school, and that one cannot imagine students attacking the principal or other staff, then burning down the school.

The end of the blockades does not erase weeks of tension. A swift return to normal is also among what some are demanding.

The SNPDEN, which claims 7,500 members out of some 14,000 school heads, was due to be received late in the day by the minister's chief of staff, according to ici.fr.

Dig deeper

What is the SNPDEN?

It is the main union of National Education management staff, representing a large share of school heads and pressing their demands with the ministry.

What is a principal?

In France, the principal heads a high school: the principal embodies the school's authority and is accountable for its operation, its safety and compliance with the rules.

What is a rectorate?

It is the regional administration of the National Education system, placed under the authority of a rector, to which school heads report and in front of which they gathered.

Why are Montpellier, Nantes and Paris mentioned?

They are three cities where principals left their schools to assemble, outside a rectorate or a high school, in order to make their exasperation visible.

What is at stake?

The very exercise of the role: school heads believe that threats, violence and damage prevent them from embodying authority and from keeping high schools running.

What happens next?

The SNPDEN was to be received at the end of the day by the minister's chief of staff, while some are also calling for a swift return to normal after the blockades.

Lire en français