JNN 14 Feb 2011 : Tens of thousands of French teachers have walked out across the country in protest at planned job cuts due to come into force from September.

Teachers were protesting against the government plans to axe some 16,000 teaching posts, at the start of the academic year when the number of students is expected to rise by about 62,000, Press TV’s correspondent in Paris reported on Thursday.

“One of the effects is the drop in the quality of French school education. The government is pushing for more contracted teachers, which means every few months a child has a new teacher. No one follows his progress,” a member of the National Bureau of Higher Education Unions, Alain Barbier, told Press TV.

“President [Nicolas Sarkozy] then blames us for exam failures but his policy of job cuts is the main problem.”

Authorities at France’s National Education Minister have so far refused to take any decisive action to calm down the situation, despite strikes that have been staged over the past few weeks at French schools.

French teachers are not alone in their protest against government policies. Magistrates are also up in the arms after President Sarkozy’s criticism of the judiciary over a murder case.

Many people in France are disgruntled with the policies introduced by the center-right government of Sarkozy. One former award winning principal, Michel Ascher, has even returned his prizes.

Some French families are reportedly planning to file court cases against the French Education Ministry if the government does not hear their calls and do something in response to the number of absent teachers.

“In one of the smallest provinces around Paris, some 20,000 hours of classes were cancelled because absent teachers were not replaced. Schools need more staff and sometime teachers have to sit in a class not meant for them,” a protester, who requested anonymity, told Press TV.

The teachers unions have warned that strikes will continue in the coming weeks until their voice is heard and the government meets their demands.