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One in six teachers are 'burnt-out': report

Matthew Warren
Matthew Warren - [email protected]
One in six teachers are 'burnt-out': report

A report published by Le Monde claims that 17 percent, or one in six, of teachers in French high schools are suffering from burn-out, characterized by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.

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The study was conducted by two educational specialists and interviewed 2,100 teachers in 400 schools across the country. Burn-out in other professions is estimated at around 11 percent.

"Young people under 30 are the most at risk," said Georges Fotinos, who co-authored the report with José-Mario Horenstein. "Factors such as gender or type of educational establishment are less important."

The reasons for the burn-out are numerous. Discipline issues, overcrowded classes, too many reforms and insufficient support are all cited.

"Around 30 percent of the teachers we spoke to have said they often think about leaving the profession," he said .

Teachers' problems have been in the news recently after a series of incidents. These include a woman teacher who died after setting fire to herself in her school playground in the southern town of Béziers and an incident involving a male teacher accused of killing a police woman with a Samurai sword.

Education minister Luc Chatel criticized the study on Thursday, saying it had "statistical weaknesses." 

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