COVID-19: As France cancels school exams, SNES-FSU demands a solution that is fair to students and teachers
As the COVID-19 shutdown drags on, European education authorities are faced with tough choices about end-of-year exams. France is cancelling exams used to assign grades for the Baccalauréat school-leaving certificate, proposing instead to use marks already collected in continuous assessment. ETUCE member organisation SNES-FSU is lobbying the government for a solution that does not unfairly penalise the students who expected to sit exams this year, especially those in poorer or more vulnerable communities.
However, the union fears that the government will push ahead with an approach which includes continuous assessment marks from the third term (the period most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak). This could exacerbate the ‘school effect’, widening inequalities of attainment between students of schools which operate in different socioeconomic contexts. SNES-FSU calls for a bespoke solution for the 2020 session where a student’s social and family environment is considered.
Countries across Europe are facing similar questions. This case shows how important it is that governments and education institutions consult fully with education trade unions when deciding on their exit strategy from confinement measures and the next steps for exam and qualification systems. Education personnel and their representatives are experts on the daily realities in schools and other education institutions, and they are well placed to assess the impact of any measures, especially on the most vulnerable students. In times of crisis meaningful social dialogue is more important than even.
SNES-FSU also calls for a carefully planned end to school closures which protects the health and safety and teachers and students, including in the new academic year.