French teacher unions denounce poor conditions for new school year

Teacher unions, including the FSU and CGT Éduc’action, are raising alarms regarding difficult conditions for the 2026 school year across various French departments. In Charente-Maritime, unions report chronic staff shortages in subjects such as mathematics, French, German, and physics, despite a regional decline in student numbers. They also highlighted inadequate school infrastructure, noting that poor insulation and ventilation in buildings like Lycée Léonce-Vieljeux lead to classroom temperatures reaching between 28 and 34 degrees Celsius.

In the Lot department, union representatives noted that despite lower student numbers, secondary school classes remain crowded, with up to 35 students in high schools. Teachers are reportedly struggling with heavy workloads, sometimes being assigned to three different establishments. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the long-term impact of a recent cyberattack on school data and the consequences of aggressive school mapping, which has led to the closure of classes and the creation of multi-level classrooms in some primary schools.