200 French high schools prioritized for renovation list, Digi Mart USA News (France): Presidents of France’s regions have sent a letter to the national education minister to denounce errors in the list of 200 high schools to be renovated as a priority.
At the end of October, Edouard Geffray announced a budget of 4 billion euros to renovate France’s most dilapidated high schools, following demands from the student movement. On November 4, the Ministry of National Education published the list of 200 institutions to be renovated first, based on submissions from the student consultation platform.
The list has been strongly disputed by the presidents of Régions de France.
In a letter addressed to Edouard Geffray on November 5, the association Régions de France denounced what it called a “demagogic communication exercise.” It complained that the ranking does not measure the severity of difficulties, the urgency of works, the size of the institutions, or whether work is underway or has already been completed, as it is “based solely on contributions gathered online.”
The association also stated that “basic verifications” would have identified completely renovated schools, such as one in Martinique, and schools that recently received an architecture award, such as one in Sartrouville, on the list.
The letter also points to “serious factual errors” in the ministry’s document. Laurent Rigaud, vice president in charge of education in Hauts-de-France, told Le Monde that “the percentages are wrong, the figures are wrong.” He said the ministry based its analysis on 201 high schools, while the region has 270.
According to him, many works have already been carried out and major projects are still underway at schools that were singled out, while others that need work are not on the list.
Jérôme Durain, Socialist president of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, mocked the list as a “TripAdvisor of high schools.” He argued that “the State is trying to pass the hot potato to the regions” and seeks to overemphasize building conditions at the expense of other issues, including Parcoursup, the consequences of the Blanquer reform, and the non-replacement of teachers. He said this alone would not calm student demands.
Student and university mobilization continues this week, with 31 high schools blocked on Monday, November 9, according to the Ministry of National Education.
