Gaston Ternes

Carte blanche  « Qui veut encore des enseignants ? »

“Who still wants teachers?” "Qui veut encore des enseignants?" This is the question posed by the French educational theorist Philippe Meirieu in the title of his latest book. It is a question that sounds like a warning—addressed to policymakers, to parents, to all of us. Behind the shortage of teachers lies a deeper question: what is school actually for? It is this question that Gaston Ternes explores in this carte blanche.

A mathematical explanation? One click. A summary? Two seconds. A ready-made solution? Generated by a machine. In such a world, the question seems almost logical: who still wants teachers?

Aren’t we confusing information with education, and solutions with the process of learning?

For Philippe Meirieu, this question is not a provocation but a bitter observation. There is a shortage of teachers—and not merely in numerical terms. It reflects a deeper cultural drift. For years, the same rhetoric has been repeated: “useful skills,” “adaptation to the labor market.” Schools are expected to deliver results that are fast, efficient, and measurable.

When this logic prevails, education is reduced to a purely economic function—and something essential is lost. A teacher is not a search engine with a human face. A teacher is a presence: someone who encourages, who challenges, who guides. Critical thinking, judgment, and a sense of responsibility do not fall from the sky; they are learned and lived. And therein lies something fundamental.

A democracy cannot endure if its citizens merely function. School is a place where young people learn to think, to question, to weigh arguments—and to understand that a person’s worth does not lie solely in their utility.

Parents want their children to have a profession—but also discernment, self-confidence, and a true education.

Teachers do not merely want to implement curricula; they want to convey meaning in what is taught. When that meaning is lost, the profession loses its appeal.

Artificial intelligence is transforming education, but it cannot replace what lies at its core: relationships, attention, trust. Behind every doctor, every craftsperson, every researcher stands a teacher who once sparked a flame.

So: who still wants teachers? We need them more than ever—not in opposition to technology, but for what no machine can do: to guide young people and help them find their own path.

Education does not arise from algorithms, but from human beings.

On this 20th of March, International Day of Happiness, the alarming figures on the well-being of children and young people should bring this message sharply into focus.