(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL dossier spécial sur
l'éducation populaire - Popular education: state-approved, subject to
market (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
Popular education is a practice, but it's also ... a pleasure. That is to say, a
guardianship subsidies, professionalization. Is this a pledge of ethics? Not really, as
shown by their staff management and competition for public contracts. ---------- By
creating in 1943 an approval "People's Youth and Education" (EHD), the Vichy regime began
the institutionalization of a movement which, until then, worked independently, without
state subsidies. Renewed after the Liberation, this was put under ministerial supervision
no longer stop. ---- Today, this certification has become essential EHD. For a question of
credibility, associations have to get it - but no guarantee that his award is subject to
subsidies! ---- The "EHD sector" represents 430,000 associations in France (49% of total
associations), for a total budget of almost 18 billion euros, or nearly 1.4% of GDP[sic].
They employ nearly 680,000 people (350,000 full-time equivalent) and are based on six
million volunteers[1].
The Committee for National and International Relations of Associations of Youth and
Popular Education (CNAJEP) brings together the giants of the sector, or about 70
structures including the League of Education, CEMEA, the Francas, Léo Lagrange, the MJC
The UFCV the Scouts et Guides de France, the Foyers of young workers, Joc, MRJC, sports
and gymnastics Federation of Labour.
Suffice to say that these large machines with impressive budgets are comfortably installed
in the French economy and do not aspire to shake up the system in place. Prisoners of
their operating costs, they are engaged in a constant race to public procurement.
These associations are heirs of a long history (see article "200 years of voluntarism and
domestication attempts") and their characteristics are still marked although many have
fallen into the trap of professionalization. Political animation is delegated to wage
earners, undermining the associative self-management. The position of these employees
under the pretext of a presupposition militancy, is often complicated: emotional blackmail
is commonplace in some unionized environment, where we too easily consent to overtime
unpaid. Difficult, then, to break the vicious circle of self-exploitation.
In 2014, the reform of school rhythms, easing the day of class hours and introducing
extracurricular workshops in nursery and primary, opened a new market.
To meet this demand, some large associations candidate against each other, regardless of
the difficulties faced by their smaller competitors - those that propose activities that
continuously Wednesday for example.
On the occasion of this reform, the public education sector has failed to negotiate
conditions (staff ratio, length of workshops, etc.) needed to complete the ambitious
workshops.
Who toast on arrival? The facilitators on the ground, too often under-trained, underpaid
and underemployed; and of course the children, including those convicted of penniless
municipalities to low-cost workshops ...
Caroline (AL northeast Paris)
[1] Figures provided by the CNAJEP, grouping of larger structures in the sector.
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Secteur-institutionnel-agree-par-l
