A student taking a face-to-face exam. – Pixabay
The appeal of BTS students who demanded the cancellation of their exams in favor of continuous assessment was rejected by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday, we learned from their lawyer.
Believing that the health situation does not allow them to take their BTS exams in good conditions, these students asked the ECHR to suspend the holding of these face-to-face exams which start on May 10 for the most part.
“BTS in distress”
In its decision, the ECHR explains that it decided “not to indicate to the French government, by virtue of article 39” of its regulations, “the provisional measure” requested. “Consequently, the Court will not take the requested measure”, it is written. “We are disappointed because we have the feeling of a form of powerlessness of our jurisdictions, which do not promote debate,” responded Mr. Vincent Brengarth, who represents 15 students in BTS. According to him, “it is incomprehensible to want to pass a face-to-face examination at all costs which will, as we know, be devalued”.
For several weeks, the 180,000 students in BTS, represented in particular by a collective “BTS in distress”, put pressure on the government so that the rules of the game of their exams are completely revised. At the end of last week, the Council of State had approved the conduct of face-to-face exams for these BTS students, the summary judge stressing that specific means are in place to comply with health rules and that a remedial session will be scheduled for July.
A remedial session for positive students
In mid-April, the government took a step towards BTS candidates who will not be able to validate their diploma this year due to the health crisis, granting them the opportunity to sit exceptionally for a remedial session. Concretely, the candidates who will not be able to go to a test, in particular because they are positive for Covid-19, will have zero in the test but will still be able, if necessary, to validate their diploma thanks to the catch-up, had specified the ministry of Higher Education.
The higher technician’s certificate (BTS) is prepared in two years after the bac. Last year, confinement requires, the final tests of the second years were canceled in favor of continuous testing. But this year, despite the epidemic, the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer said he wanted to maintain them.