Strike and health protocol: Jean-Michel Blanquer, a minister in turmoil – LCI

He broke the record for the longevity of the Ministers of National Education of the Fifth Republic. But one of the darlings of the macronie, who prides himself on having boosted the reform of the bac, the duplication of CP and CE1 classes in priority education areas and worked to keep schools open to the maximum despite the Covid, is going through difficult days. This Thursday, 75% of teachers are expected to strike to demonstrate against the mess that reigns in schools, where the health protocol has changed three times in a week.

Already on January 3, the educational staff had little appreciated learning in comments revealed the day before in the press, what instructions to apply to contain the very contagious Omicron variant in schools. Jean-Michel Blanquer defended himself by explaining that the late publication of the new health protocol was a necessity for “to be as close as possible to the health reality”. But in an interview with French people published in the Parisian, Emmanuel Macron had recognized a failure. “I’ll give you the point, it takes more anticipation and more time for the rectorates to communicate with the schools upstream”, he had estimated.

This Wednesday at the end of the Council of Ministers, even if he reaffirmed that the executive was “very supportive” Minister Gabriel Attal added: “We measure the fatigue of educational staff and families”, and the government spokesperson admitted that “not everything has been perfect in recent days”. However, the Head of State thanked the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Education for their action in favor of the school.

If the entire political opposition criticizes Jean-Michel Blanquer, members of the executive are not left out. “For me Jean-Michel Blanquer is a bit of an icebreaker who is stuck in the ice. For some time now, he has not done much after having done a lot”, indicated a relative of Emmanuel Macron to LCI this Tuesday. “Jean-Michel Blanquer annoys, yes, and for a long time”, concedes another faithful of the president to AFP. “But it will have been the symbol of what the President of the Republic wanted: duration.”

His relations would also be very tense with Oliver Véran, the Minister of National Education reproaching his colleague in Health for defending him weakly and leaving him alone to carry a school protocol due to a complex health situation. According to information from Parisian, confirmed at LCI, the two men would have explained themselves firmly on Wednesday before the Council of Ministers.

In the majority, some also deplore the orientations taken by the minister beyond the management of the health crisis. In particular his passionate fight against Wokism or “Islamo-leftism”, themes dear to the right, from which he came.