A recent report by the Cour des comptes, France’s highest audit body, has revealed that despite increased investments, the coverage of teacher absences in French secondary schools remains a significant problem. In 2024, about 9% of secondary school classes were left without a teacher, far above the 3% target set by the government's finance law. This means that nearly one in ten classes had no teacher present, which can disrupt students' learning and affect the quality of education. The report highlights that coverage of short-term absences—those lasting a day or two, often due to illness or last-minute training—is particularly low. Only 10% of these absences were covered in 2024, compared to 96% for long-term absences and nearly 80% in primary schools. A program called "pacte enseignant" was introduced to ensure that no class is left unattended during teacher absences, aiming to cover 20.5% of short-term absences by the 2023-2024 school year. However, this target was not met, despite a six-point increase from previous years. The gap between the government's goals and reality has been growing. In 2022, the difference was already 5.7%, showing that the problem is not temporary but persistent. Coverage of short-term absences has tripled since 2022-2023, but it remains low, with only 10% of these absences covered in 2024. A 2021 report by the Cour des comptes showed that out of 2.5 million hours of missed classes due to short-term absences, only 500,000 were covered—meaning that four out of five such absences had no substitute teacher. The report contrasts the situation in secondary schools with that in primary schools, where nearly 80% of absences are covered. This is attributed to more centralized organization and dedicated teams of substitute teachers. The Cour des comptes recommends raising the short-term absence coverage target to 36% by 2026, alongside better use of data, improved management of substitute teacher resources, and more effective monitoring of long-term absences, which have seen declining coverage since 2019. The report stresses the need to focus on long-term results rather than short-term progress to address the ongoing issue effectively.