France's Ministry of National Education announced, one month late, a distribution of resources for the 2026 school year that includes more teacher job cuts than outlined in the draft finance law. Public primary schools will lose 2,229 positions, and middle and high schools over 1,800. The ministry describes this as merely a 'reserve adjustment'.
On January 26, 2026, during a social administration committee meeting, France's Ministry of National Education presented the resource allocation for the September 2026 school year, delayed by one month due to the lack of an adopted budget. This announcement surprised union representatives with its scale, exceeding the projections in the 2026 draft finance law (PLF).
According to documents reviewed by Le Monde, the primary public sector—primary schools—will see a loss of 2,229 'teaching resources,' referring to tenured or probationary teachers. For secondary education, public middle and high schools, more than 1,800 positions will be cut. This exceeds the PLF's estimates of 1,891 cuts in primary and 1,365 in secondary.
Educational community stakeholders, aware of the planned budget reductions, were nonetheless taken aback by the harsher measure. The ministry maintains that it is simply a 'reserve adjustment,' without elaborating on the long-term effects for teaching in France.
