French teachers strike over chaotic COVID-19 strategy for schools

Tens of thousands walked off the job on Thursday over what they say is the government's failure to adopt a coherent policy for schools to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tens of thousands of French teachers walked off the job on Thursday over what they say is the government’s failure to adopt a coherent policy for schools to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and protect pupils and staff against infection.

Teachers, parents, and school administrators have struggled to deal with the pandemic and the government’s twist and turns on COVID-19 rules at school. New testing requirements were announced on the eve of the return from Christmas holidays and changed twice since.

“We had reached such a level of exasperation, tiredness, and anger that we didn’t have any other option but to organise a strike to send a strong message to the government,” said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, national secretary of the SE-UNSA teachers union.

Schools in Paris and beyond offered a mixed picture on Thursday morning, with some entirely closed because of the strike, some partly open and others operating normally. Some were open only for children of health workers.

Read more from Reuters.

Most Popular