Teachers consider salaries low and do not recommend the profession to young people

Almost all teachers and educators consider their salaries to be low, and 84% do not advise young people to pursue a teaching career, a national survey by the National Federation of Education (FNE) shows.

These are some of the preliminary results of a national online consultation carried out by FNE from 13 to 20 October, to which 2,138 early childhood educators and primary and secondary school teachers from across the country responded.

“As a first analysis, we can say that the responses to this survey revealed very strong dissatisfaction with regard to remuneration,” FNE highlights, revealing that 97.1% of respondents believe that their remuneration does not correspond to the level of qualifications required for the job. professional practice.

A slight increase in dissatisfaction can be noted in comparison with the results of the consultation held in 2022 by the FNE, in which 96.7% of teachers and educators admitted that they were dissatisfied with their salaries.

When asked about their career expectations, 94% found them to be “little” or “not at all attractive”: “Last year, 56.5% said they were disappointing and 39.7% said they were unattractive,” FNE reports .

While schools continue to look for teachers (Fenprof pointed to 50,000 students, but not all teachers have been appointed a month after classes started), authorities have taken several initiatives to attract more young people into the profession, but seem to be insufficient in terms of those who are already teaching.

The overwhelming majority of educators and teachers who took part in the survey (84.1%) would not advise a young person to become a teacher, and this percentage decreased slightly compared to last year (2.3 percentage points less).

The consultation also showed that more than eight in ten educators and teachers (82.9) believe that public recognition of the teaching profession is negative.

“Respondents to this consultation once again warned of disapproval of this government’s policies, being very critical of the current government’s options on education, with 91.9% saying they are insufficient to very insufficient,” FNE said.

The survey also covered other issues, such as students’ use of cell phones in class, with two out of three agreeing with their use (67.9% vs. 32.1% disagreeing).

When talking about the start of the school year, teachers cited overwork, excessive bureaucratic workload, and excessive administrative work as their main concerns.

The majority of teachers and educators also negatively assessed the measures announced by the guardians to simplify the tasks of teachers.

In the summer, the Ministry of Education presented two dozen initiatives based on proposals from various directors of educational institutions and trade union organizations, which should begin to be implemented this academic year.

Minimizing the aspects that need to be monitored and assessed in all plans and projects, not assessing student learning under AEC (Actions for Curriculum Extension), creating optional mid-term meetings or allowing “online” meetings with guardians are some of the measures. .

Among respondents who “failed” the measures, 77.6% said that their school has not yet taken measures to reduce the bureaucratic workload, and 65.9% believe that many of the tasks set are still unjustified.

The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Agency for Administrative Modernization, continues to study bureaucratic procedures that need to be eliminated.