Geffray promises enough teachers for the start of the 2026 school year – unions warn of shortages

Paris – 09.07.2026: The French Education Minister Édouard Geffray reiterates that sufficient teachers will be available for the start of the 2026 school year. He points to a higher number of admitted applicants as well as expanded position quotas in the teaching competitive exams. According to him, this reverses the trend of unfilled posts. The basis are the recently published decrees on the allocation of posts for the 2026 school year, which are available on the platform devenirenseignant.gouv.fr. There the quotas for primary school teaching (CRPE) as well as for the secondary-level competitions are listed.

According to ministerial information, quotas for 2026 were significantly increased. At the same time a reform of teacher training takes effect, which allows entry via different study levels (Licence 3 to Master 2) and aims to broaden the applicant pool. The ministry therefore expects a larger pool of candidates who can quickly enter the school service. In the coming weeks the assignment of stagiaires to the Académies will take place – an administrative step that will decide whether the numerical progress actually leads to filled classes.

Unions and experts acknowledge a tendency toward relief, but point to ongoing risks. Mentioned in particular are regional imbalances between highly sought-after urban areas and rural regions, subjects with structural shortages – for example mathematics or certain vocational specialisms – as well as questions of qualification. The Direction de l’Évaluation, de la Prospective et de la Performance (DEPP) describes heterogeneous profiles among the admitted candidates in recent analyses. From this critics derive the concern that gaps may be closed numerically but pedagogical requirements are not always immediately met in practice.

The political debate thus revolves around the relationship between quantity and quality of recruitment. The government views the increased admissions as an indication of the reform’s effectiveness, which, besides new access routes, also foresees a closer linking of study and practice. Associations, by contrast, demand robust guarantees for accompanying measures: beginning teachers need support in schools, reliable continuing training and transparent allocation procedures so that transfer requests, mobility and family considerations can be reconciled with teaching needs.

Crucial will be whether the announced positions actually arrive in the classroom at the start of the school year. This requires close coordination between the ministry, Académies and inspectorates as well as contracts for stagiaires and temporary staff that are completed in good time. In the medium term the stabilization of the system depends on whether the reform retains enough qualified candidates permanently – through clear career paths, competitive working conditions and training that strengthens both subject depth and pedagogical practice.