A-Infos (en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #234 - School timetables: Who will keep the children?(fr, pt)[machine translation]

For the reform of school timetables, the government relied on a strong expectation on the 
part of most education stakeholders to get what is, ultimately, yet another austerity 
measure. To lighten the days, municipalities must manage to live extracurricular time. 
Children and leaders are the first to suffer.

The need to break down barriers school is an element that is almost unanimity among 
current pedagogy, to mix the institutional school and the "school of life"[1]. The 
animation industry, working more closely with the Ministry of Education, might be seen to 
confirm its educational role. This would also help to enhance the role of facilitators 
that might expect a perpetuation of their status, better consideration and training worthy 
of the name.

There is obviously nothing. Reform school timetables stated objective to reduce the days 
in school, considered too heavy and limit the disruption Wednesday. For this, an 
additional half-day course (Wednesday or Saturday morning) is intended to finish average 
of forty-five minutes earlier in the afternoon, extracurricular taking over.

It appears that the extracurricular is seen as a way to fill the holes for the days to 
end, as before, to 16 h 30. Indeed, the school, in addition to its role as ideological 
state apparatus, is a type of care that allows parents to be available to go to be 
exploited instead of spending time with family. Actually reduce school time would 
therefore need to reduce the amplitude schedule employee-es, which is not an option for 
employers. This reform would actually think extracurricular activities as a less expensive 
way to keep children.

The means provided to municipalities to implement these times are ridiculous effect. The 
"seed money" of EUR 250 million and aid CAF communities represent between 90 (on average) 
and 140 euros (for the most deprived areas) per year per child[2]. These are the councils 
that carry the fiscal burden, leading to glaring inequalities in terms of funding. Free, 
promised in the beginning by Peillon, finally optional. In Grenoble, only workshops 
"playground", "library" and "games" are free. Other cities, such as Cognin (Savoy), chose 
to help families by family coefficient.

A facilitator to eighteen children

As to the valuation of business facilitator, the government has clearly shown its 
intentions: the frame rate is reduced: there is now need a facilitator to fourteen 
children under six and eighteen for six years. The government assumes that this is only 
intended to make the implementation of the reform cheaper for municipalities. Increase the 
workload of animators, it's free, it avoids having to create too many jobs. And the jobs 
created, we see a proliferation of educational commitment contracts (EEC) and volunteering 
more than perennial and paid contracts.

The question of means and spaces has also shown problematic. Sharing premises and 
equipment with the school is often very complicated, the working bodies and coordination 
between leaders and teaching staff in the reform are difficult to implement, between 
relief, lack of time and differences in institutional logics. Testimony animators or 
facilitators overwhelmed es, without means, without support and training are legion[3].

If the need for a unitary work seems obvious, workers in different sectors, education and 
entertainment, yet struggling to unite. The role of trade is a central explanatory factor. 
While Unsa supports reform in playing its role yellow union, the CGT and the FSU rally 
without claiming the repeal, which puts these two central door at odds with the South. 
Willingness to accommodate the reform leads to the fact that real societal corporatist 
claims. Interprofessional mobilization, even within the same union, and with parents is 
difficult.

Leaders struggle

Teachers' unions have called a national strike on 12 and 14 November, with a significant 
participation (from 36.17% at the national level in the first degree and 62% for the 
Academy of Paris). On Tuesday 12 November, are the town hall staff (facilitators and 
service personnel) who mobilized. Some unions had called for the mobilization 13. In the 
same week, there has been three calls on three different days. Even during demonstrations, 
processions are sometimes separated, as in Chambery where there were two meetings on the 
same day.

Build a mass movement uniting all stakeholders concerned, are a priority. Reform raises 
great concern and sometimes spontaneous mobilizations, as seems to be the "yellow 
jackets," parents who mobilized via Facebook for the withdrawal of the reform. But this 
reaction is now widely dispersed, and most importantly, it lacks clear lines. This finding 
is all the more serious that very different values may justify a refusal to change 
rhythms. The UMP and FN are ambushed, taking ambiguous discourse that combines republican 
equality and budgetary costs.

Build an enabling clear lines movement is therefore a necessity. The union tool must be a 
base for this, to organize, mobilize and spread reactionary or corporate positions. In 
Chambéry town, two cities (Cognin and La Ravoire) have already implemented the reform in 
September 2013. A part of teachers, parents and leaders are exasperated by the situation 
and is already a mobilization base. Solidarity within a unitary work is carried out for 
several months with South Education, the "animation" branch of South-Health-Social and 
communities to build a wider community, combining unions, non-union organizations and 
individuals concerned. CGT and CNT joined the signing of a leaflet demanding the 
withdrawal of the reform and the organization of a public meeting on November 29.

This mobilization is also an opportunity to build a union culture in the animation sector, 
facilitators are particularly precarious, highly politicized and organized es-es.

Tudy (AL Chambéry)

[1] For Freinet and Montessori school learning are easier when you also interested in 
knowledge less "intellectuals." Some libertarians as teachers or Paul Robin Francisco 
Ferrer believe that simply must abolish the distinction between the two.

[2] See www.education.gouv.fr

[3] A very illustrative example: "When I hear of educational time I laugh yellow" on 
rue89.com.
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