The verb "succeed" more than any other expresses the deep-seated purpose of the school system : the success of all the pupils. This success is due to the joint commitment by families and staff from the Ministry of National Education and Youth, aspiring to the same goal : raising overall levels and social justice. Making success the watchword for this year 2019-2020 means closely linking the success of pupils, the professional well-being of staff and the success of our country. More than ever our Nation needs a successful school system to move confidently towards the future.

 

 

The school system must therefore come to terms fully with the challenges of our era : the challenge of equal opportunity, the challenge of well-being at work for staff and the environmental challenge.

 

As we start this new school year, we can be collectively proud of having succeeded in offering 300,000 Grade 1 and Grade 2 pupils in priority education exceptional monitoring in classes of twelve. The commitment of all staff has helped us to initiate an equal opportunity policy on an unprecedented scale that is the cutting edge of an educational ambition for the entire primary school. This success forces us to broaden our action so that each pupil has what he needs to progress. This takes the form of consolidated pre-primary school with mandatory instruction at age 3 and increased monitoring of pupils through the national Grade 1 and Grade 2 assessments. In terms of all pupils becoming proficient in fundamental skills (reading, writing, counting and respecting others), we owe it to families to base out actions on a principle of truth.

A solid, tranquil school system is based on due recognition of the work of staff. The forthcoming year will see more intense dialogue with the social partners to progress in topics as important as monitoring reforms in our upper secondary schools, major issues for the future of pupils and improved working conditions for staff. This relies firstly on the systematic response by the institution to any attack on its authority. Then, by support for careers through local human resource management that is being rolled out in all regions. Lastly, in-depth discussions on working conditions are essential from the perspective of retirement reforms. We shall thus expand on what we have started to do, mainly with an increased Rep+ bonus of 2,000 euros net a year (+1,000 euros at the start of this school year), tax exemption for overtime and increased salaries of 299 million euros.
 
Rooted deeply in humanist culture and scientific spirit, our school system plays a role of guide and incentive for pupils on a question of primary concern to them : the environmental challenge. At the start of this school year, we are urging them to play a full role in making the 60,000 academic establishments in our country spaces for biodiversity, at the cutting edge of the fight against global warming. The French school system comprises over 12 million pupils and one million staff. Together, we can indicate a path and initiate deep-seated changes. Here this will be a vegetable plot, planting of trees, there sorting of waste, everywhere thought given to energy consumption. At the end of September, all lower and upper secondary classes will elect an eco-delegate to work concretely on this transformation.
 
The school system is the backbone of our Republic. Uniting to make the school system a success is binding together to make our country successful and give each individual a chance to play a role in tomorrow's world.