A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #358 - AESH at the Maurice Thorez School in Trappes (78): It's important to know how to continue a strike (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Classroom Analysis ---- Since the law of February 11, 2005, on 
disability, the number of students with disabilities enrolled in 
mainstream schools has increased very rapidly (1). Primarily found in 
primary and middle schools, these students are supposed to (but are not 
always) be supported by Teaching Assistants for Students with 
Disabilities (AESH). These assistants (over 90% of whom are women) help 
them daily with learning, but also with various other tasks, depending 
on the student's needs, as assessed by the Departmental Centers for 
Disabled Persons (MDPH). They also support students with "special needs" 
(behavioral disorders, attention deficit disorders, hyperactivity, 
etc.), and are therefore responsible for managing, with the resources 
available, the diversity in overcrowded classrooms. In total, 
approximately 130,000 AESHs (Assistants for Students with Disabilities), 
on fixed-term or permanent contracts, most with imposed part-time hours 
of 60%, meaning 24 hours of support per week (but present at the 
workplace for much longer), are exploited by the French National 
Education system, making them the second largest profession after teachers.

So, who are they? The typical profile is that of a single mother with 
children, in a precarious situation, who sometimes holds several jobs to 
supplement her meager salary (a little over half the minimum wage). They 
come from working-class families or are university graduates who have 
experienced downward mobility. Depending on their qualifications and 
therefore their educational background, their relationship with the 
teacher varies greatly. Indeed, a degree confers a form of legitimacy 
and recognition on the teacher, which the latter may perceive as 
competition. They often justify this career choice by citing the free 
time they have for their children and the relative autonomy they enjoy 
in their work.

Despite a fairly high turnover rate due to the often difficult nature of 
the job (acting as a safety valve to manage the diversity of student 
profiles, containing students in crisis among 30 others), and the lack 
of financial compensation, they often have a positive perception of 
their work, typical of caregiving, social work, or community-based 
professions. Despite their in-depth knowledge of the children they 
support, they are rendered invisible, undervalued, and have little 
influence on institutional decisions concerning school-aged children.

Inclusive education: the heist of the century?
In the post-World War II era, to address the consequences of mass 
schooling in terms of student numbers and diversity, the administration 
created what sociologists have called "non-teaching staff." In the 
1980s, these staff members "were gradually replaced by education 
technicians, less qualified, less paid, and very often in a precarious 
employment situation (1)," including the AESH (Assistants for Students 
with Disabilities).

Moreover, as has already been written in the pages of Courant Alternatif 
(2), the AESH status is a very convenient creation for the state as 
employer. Indeed, it is much more expensive to pay specialized 
educators, doctors, and psychologists to support children with 
disabilities in specialized institutions than to pay AESH in so-called 
inclusive schools.

It is therefore within the framework of a double contradiction that we 
must understand the strikes of these "non-teaching staff." The first 
contradiction lies in inclusive schools, which, under the guise of good 
intentions of social mixing within schools, place workers in impossible 
situations due to a lack of resources and training. The second issue is 
the creeping contractualization of the national education system, with 
several tens of percent of contract workers (3) - including AESHs 
(Assistants for Students with Disabilities) - who have become 
indispensable to compensate for declining attractiveness, but whose 
precarious employment and lack of recognition are juxtaposed with that 
of other civil servants. The Senate's refusal, supported by the 
government, on January 7, 2026, to create a Category B civil service 
body for AESHs clearly demonstrates how the state, acting as employer, 
intends to resolve these contradictions.

The strike against hypocrisy and for recognition
In Trappes, at the Maurice Thorez school, the previous school year's 
team, under immense pressure due to a critical shortage of AESHs 
compared to the number of students with special needs enrolled, 
repeatedly escalated their complaints to management (to no avail), 
suffered from sick leave, burnout, and other issues. To address the 
problem, the administration assigned a new team for the 2025-2026 school 
year, comprising six AESHs. In January, a resignation worsened the staff 
shortage. Consequences: "in addition to supporting students with 
disabilities for whom they have a notification, they are asked to 
support students[from other classes]who do not yet have an AESH. Some 
AESHs (Assistants for Students with Disabilities) find themselves 
supporting up to 7 different students[...]in a single day (4)", and the 
support time per student decreases accordingly (5).

On February 2nd, four AESHs (one of whom was on sick leave), united and 
determined, supported by SUD-Education 78, began an indefinite strike. 
Despite intimidation, the lack of participation from the school's 
teachers, and the administration's certainty that the strike would not 
last, the AESHs continued until victory. On the third day, they were 
offered a 12-hour position to replace the resigning AESH, representing 
24 hours. This was refused. On the twelfth day, a representative from 
the academic administration announced the recruitment of an AESH for the 
position. They made it clear that the strike would continue if this was 
just an empty promise. On Monday the 16th, they returned to work with 
their heads held high.

This first victory allowed them to draw several lessons. First, a 
strike, when self-organized, sustained, and supported by a strike fund, 
can produce results at the local level, far more so than the "days of 
action" organized by the major unions (6), but solidarity from teachers 
is by no means guaranteed (7). Second, recognition of contract workers 
in the national education system will only be achieved through struggle, 
as the institutional route is blocked. A media platform exists for the 
struggles of teaching assistants for students with disabilities (AESH), 
because the State is immediately confronted with its contradictions. 
Finally, this is precisely what the administration fears: that this 
strike will serve as an example, that contract workers, including AESH, 
will raise their heads and become aware of their collective strength. A 
victory that calls for others!

zyg, February 18, 2026

Notes
(1) From 28,000 in 2015 to approximately 100,000 in 2022. For figures, a 
brief history of laws on disability and education, as well as a 
sociological field study on the work of AESH (Assistants for Students 
with Disabilities), see *Autonomy in Invisibility: Support Workers for 
Students with Disabilities*, by Christophe Chevalier, Arthur Imbert, and 
Alicia Jacquot, *La Nouvelle Revue du Travail*, 2022.

(2) "School Inclusion: A New Offensive by Bourgeois Education," by 
Philippe Geneste, *Courant Alternatif* no. 305, December 2020.

(3) "Where is School Going?" (4) "Alternative Current No. 325," December 
2022

(5) Press release from SUD Education 78, February 6, 2026

(6) "National strike of AESHs: an echo from the Mantois region," 
Alternative Current No. 314, November 2021
(7) "Rethinking a radical critique of the capitalist school," 
Alternative Current No. 292, Summer 2019

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4668
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