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The tone is set. "We, representatives of the parents of Gustavia elementary school, express our deep indignation and concern about what promises to be a disastrous start to the new school year. "With the start of the 2025 school year just a few months away, the parent delegates of Gustavia elementary school have issued a press release to alert the population, elected representatives and the rectorat to the lack of teachers at their school.
Uninsured replacements
This year, Gustavia elementary school managed to have one teacher for each of its 18 classes. However, some posts were occupied by three substitute teachers, "meaning that no teacher was able to provide short-term replacements", says the press release. With no possibility of replacing these absences, classes were left without teachers, parents report. Worse still, the specialist teacher "maitre E", "normally dedicated to pupils with special needs, is regularly mobilized to replace absent teachers". As in previous years, the parents and the school group were not idle in the face of this situation. They approached the rectorat on several occasions, directly proposing profiles of qualified and available teachers. A tenured teacher living in Saint-Barthélemy has volunteered to take up a position, but her recruitment has been blocked for administrative reasons. A teacher from Belgium has seen her application blocked for months, despite all the steps taken to have her diploma recognized. On three occasions, parents have written to the Vice-Rector and the Rector to inform them of the situation. All requests remained unanswered. "This administrative silence reflects an unacceptable contempt for our children's education and for the efforts of the local educational community", asserts the press release.
Applications blocked
However, Christine Gangloff-Ziegler, Rector of the Guadeloupe Academy, responded to our requests. This year, the children are taken care of," she says. There is a teacher in front of the pupils, and replacements, when needed, have been made. "Concerning the job offers relayed by parents, Christine Gangloff-Ziegler explains that the teacher on availability could not be hired for administrative reasons. "A person who is on availability in their home academy cannot have a contract in another academy", she explains. Meanwhile, the Belgian teacher's application "is on course", as she has to go through a process of verification of the recognition of her diploma. Although she had been awaiting documents for months, the teacher reportedly received some feedback at the beginning of the week.
Teacher departures
But parents' concerns are not confined to the current year. At the end of January, they learned of the departure of two teachers for the start of the 2025 school year. This is a natural move for the French education system, but one that is frightening parents, given the difficulty of recruiting teachers on the island. All the more so, as parent delegates claim that no POP (Poste à Profil) positions will be published for the start of the 2025 school year. These positions enable teachers to be recruited without going through the classic points system, which facilitates assignments to Saint-Barth. "The absence of these positions in 2025 seriously compromises the start of the next school year, and suggests that the situation will be even more chaotic than the one we are currently experiencing", say the parents. The Rector of the Académie de Guadeloupe confirms that these particular positions have not been opened for the next school year. If we had received the transfer requests earlier, it's true that we could have converted them into POP positions," says Christine Gangloff-Ziegler. But now we're out of time. "
A recurring problem
According to the Collectivité, five teachers are planning to leave the school group for the start of the new school year. Three of them were living on their own. If the rectorat manages to find other teachers to take over these positions, will there be enough housing? This is not a new question, it comes up every year. And this is precisely what the parents are accusing the board of education of having "failed in its mission" and of "endangering the education of pupils in Saint-Barthélemy."They are even considering legal action if no satisfactory response is forthcoming. For her part, the Rectrice promises to "keep a very close eye on all the islands": "And of course, Saint-Barth in this context too, since we know the housing difficulties that can exist on the island. "
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An overworked school doctor
While the school board has explained its position to the press, it is not always willing to answer questions from parents and elected representatives. For several months, efforts have been underway to increase the number of school doctors on the island. At present, Dr. Clavel is the only doctor covering all the schools on Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy. An impossible task for one man. A doctor from Saint-Barth is willing to spend a few hours in the schools, thus relieving Dr Clavel's workload. This profile was presented to the rectorat in June last year, but since then there has been no response. It seems that another profile was finally retained by the education authority, without informing the Collectivité, which was the instigator of the request. A psychologist for all the island's schools is also a pending request.
