Can all subjects be distributed? Terminale students work from this Monday on the written specialty exams for the 2023 baccalaureate, which are held for the first time in March, against a backdrop of strike threats by supervisors launched by several unions against the pension reform.
These tests, born of the baccalaureate reform of 2019, take place from 2 p.m., then Tuesday and Wednesday, and next week for Reunion. This is the second year that they have taken place, but they were postponed to May last year, due to Covid-19.
Notes expected for April 12
The 536,081 candidates (390,710 in the general route, 145,371 in the technological route) will each take two specialty tests: the two “major” subjects chosen by each high school student in Terminale. They both count for a third of the baccalaureate results, calculated out of 100 points. The grades, expected for April 12, will for the first time be taken into account in Parcoursup, the assignment procedure in higher education.
The specialty tests could be disrupted by the mobilization on the pension reform: teachers’ unions, including the Snes-FSU, first in secondary education, the CGT Educ’ation, the Fnec-FP-FO and Sud-Education have called ” all colleagues to decide on the continuation of the action” and “mobilization during the specialty tests, including by the surveillance strike where possible”.
“Obviously it will not be an easy decision to make. We have colleagues who are ready to do it and others who will not because we have students facing us, our students, whom we have tried to prepare, ”said Sophie Vénétitay, secretary general of the Snes-FSU. “But we have to measure the anger of colleagues after 49.3 and two months of mobilization” and “it is this anger that will be expressed in certain places”, she added on BFMTV. “The responsibility of the President of the Republic is immense”.
The Ministry of Education wants to reassure
For its part, the Ministry of National Education indicated on Friday that it would mobilize “additional supervisors” in order to “allow the conduct of the tests in the best conditions”. He also stressed that “the necessary arrangements will be made to allow candidates access to examination centers in connection with the prefectures” if necessary. In the event of disruption in transport due to strikes and lateness of a candidate, not exceeding one hour, the end of the test is shifted accordingly for the student.
On Sunday, the boss of the CGT Philippe Martinez, however, wished that these exams “go as well as possible”. “But I can wish what I want, anger is there,” he added on BFMTV. For the CFDT, “we do not interfere with the baccalaureate”, declared its leader Laurent Berger in an interview with Release.