France to deploy 3,024 replacement teachers to high schools

French Education Minister Édouard Geffray has announced the deployment of 3,024 replacement teachers to high schools facing critical staffing shortages. These individuals are permanent civil servants designated for replacement zones (TZR) who have passed selection processes but had not yet been assigned to specific classes.

To address the crisis, the Ministry is implementing a two-pronged approach. In addition to deploying the TZR staff to over 500 schools, the government will allow school principals to access additional hours from the ‘Teacher Pact’ earlier than planned. This allows volunteer teachers to receive remuneration for taking on extra teaching hours to cover short-term absences.

While the government aims to reach the equivalent of 4,000 full-time positions through these combined measures, the response from unions and student representatives has been cautious. The teacher union SNALC and others have questioned why these qualified replacement teachers were not mobilized sooner, given that disruptions have been evident since the start of the school year. Critics have also noted a lack of specific details regarding regional distribution and the subjects most affected by the shortages.