What if your children or teenagers did not return toschool until September, for the start of the school year, because of the coronavirus epidemic? A track until recently studied but that the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron has ruled out Monday, April 13 during his speech, indicating that schools would reopen gradually from May 11, depending on the evolution of the epidemic.
A track that was however favored by Jean-Michel Blanquer, the Minister of National Education, as he mentioned several days ago to our colleagues of Sud Radio:"We consider everything in terms of preparation of the return, even a return after the summer. It is also a possible scenario, but I prefer to consider that it is not the most likely," he explained. A return to this date also considered by teachers and parent representatives.
But Emmanuel Macron has decided: the return of students to nursery schools, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools should take place from May 11 unless the health situation changes. This decision was taken so that parents can go back to work, but also to avoid that inequalities increase between students.
On the side of the parents and the caregivers, they were not so sure... They might even have preferred to put the children back to school for the start of the school year. For them, a return to school in September was still the safest and most logical thing to do... This is what Elisabeth Bouvet, an infectious diseases specialist at theBichat Hospital in Paris, explained several days ago to our colleagues atEurope 1:"It would seem, in my opinion, quite logical that the return to school should take place only after the summer, that is to say in September", she had mentioned, when asked about the modalities of the decontamination.
On the teachers' side, the concern was rather palpable as regards the schooling of the pupils, but a return in May seems to be a wise decision, from a certain point of view. This is what Thibaut Lengaigne, a teacher in a high school in Pontoise, explained to Europe 1 a few days ago:"There is always a little time to readjust in September after the two months of vacation, for the teachers but also, above all, for the students who have to get back on track.I can't even imagine what it will be like, not after two months, but after four or five months.
A return to school for May 11, certainly, but which will have to be done gradually, even in another form. This is what Benoît Teste, secretary general of the National Education Federation, told our TF1 colleagues a few days ago:"Even if we go back to school in mid-May or at the end of May, [...] this return to school will obviously not be normal, and probably won't concern everyone", he estimated.
A gradual resumption announced on Monday, April 13, but difficult to apply for all students, especially when it is imperative to respect the barriers, especially for elementary and kindergarten students. It remains only to know in the devices set up by the schools to ensure the safety of everyone.
