Anger mounts over Savary schools plan

By Peter Stanford THE FRENCH Government has been severely criticised for attempting to hurry its controversial education plans through the National Assembly. A special constitutional practice was invoked on May 24, turning the proposals into an issue of confidence.
The debate over the future of the country's private schools, which make up 15 per cent of the education sector, has been raging since President Mitterrand promised the total integration of the private schools into the public sector during the 1981 election. The vast majority of private schools (93 per cent) are run by Catholic teaching orders.
After lengthy consultations with all sides earlier this year, which took place against the background of a series of mass demonstrations organised by the defenders of private schools, M Alain Savary, the Minister of Education, obtained cabinet approval for his compromise measure in March.
This measure would leave the private schools with substantial autonomy, while guaranteeing them state funding.
However, one aspect of the Savary plan has been declared unacceptable by the Catholic Church. Teachers in private schools will be able to become state employees in six years after the plans are approved, and thus they will qualify for a whole range of state benefits.
Until now they have been paid by the State under the terms of the Debra Law of 1959, while technically being employees of the schools themselves.
The teachers have welcomed the proposals, but the church has refused to accept them. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Archbishop of Paris, has stated that the plans "place in danger the identity of the Catholic school" by giving the central government greater control over the staff in private schools, and the French bishops have urged the National Assembly to reject the legislation, The church also views with concern the proposal to set up etablissements d'interet public as a local forum where State and private schools from one area can meet to discuss the allocation of state funds to schools in the area.
M Savary has also been criticised in lay circles for making too many concessions to the private schools. In a last minute attempt to placate lay opponents of the Savary plan, the Government announced a further concession.
If private schools do not have a majority of State employees among their teaching staff in eight years time, local government can withdraw its financial contributions to the schools.
Their financial responsibility will then be taken over by the central government. The reluctance of several local communes to give funds to private schools has been one of the major issues facing M Savary,