French Politics (Free subscription) | 11/16/2008
Education minister Xavier Darcos faced tough questioning from lycéens summoned from across France to the Ecole Polytechnique. He denied that curriculum reform was being used to eliminate teaching posts, although large numbers are being eliminated. Some of the students attending the session came away satisfied, however.
Washington Post (Free subscription) | 7 hours ago
... spending on day-care centers for children younger than 3, conservative Education Minister Xavier Darcos responded, "That's an absurdity and a gross distortion of the truth." His tart response reflected awareness of a long-standing political reality. Since the conservative Charles de Gaulle immediately after World War II embraced once-leftist social policies such as the 40-hour workweek...
France24 (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
... the disorder plaguing primary schools since reforms brought in by the Education Minister, Xavier Darcos, and are calling for “truthful social dialogue” with him. According to Snuipp-FSU, the main teacher’s union, seven in 10 teachers are expected to participate in the strike. There has not been a similar participation rate since the strikes of 2003 protesting pension reform. Reductions...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
Protesting French schoolteachers came under fierce attack today from the education minister, Xavier Darcos, who accused them of being caught up in an outdated "culture of striking".According to unions, more than half of all education professionals are on strike today, though the education ministry claims just one in three is not at work. Strikers are protesting against plans by the president,...
The Earth Times Online Newspaper (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
Paris - Many classes in French primary and secondary schools were closed Thursday as teachers stayed away from their jobs to protest government plans to cut jobs. Unions said that one of two secondary-school teachers and some 70 per cent of kindergarten and primary school-teachers were on strike Thursday. To cut state costs, Education Minister Xavier Darcos has cut 11,200 jobs from the...
IOL (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
... alternative care arrangements for children by school assistants or other staff.Education Minister Xavier Darcos, who has been overseeing the government's schools reform drive, said on Thursday he "heard" the teachers but he said entrenched attitudes by teachers' unions had to change.
The Telegraph (Free subscription) | 11/20/2008
... non-teaching staff required to look after the 90,000 pupils without teachers.Education minister Xavier Darcos said such reasoning was "a joke" as "all the authorities controlled by the right can manage it".He slammed what he called unrepresentative teachers' unions "whose principal function is resistance to change"."Systematically organising strikes as a response to school problems...
