Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction - Pierre Pachet
A FRENCH COURT said "non" today to popular website Note2be.com, which had allowed pupils to rate their teachers.
Based on examples of thriving U.S. sites which encourage youngsters to grade their teachers, in much the same way that their teachers grade them, Note2be.com asked pupils to rate their teachers according to six categories: how interesting, clear, fair, available, respectful and motivated they were. But sadly, Note2be seems destined to be no more.
The French Unions got in a strop about the website and, with the backing of the education ministry, took the site to court on charges of breached privacy and an "incitement to public disorder".
More disorderly than a French workers union lorry strike? One can only wonder.
Judges in the case seemed to sympathise with the shamed teachers and ordered that the site no longer be allowed to mention teachers by name, at pain of a $1,517 (1,000 euro) fine for every violation.
They were also fined a symbolic 1 Euro and made to pay the legal fees of what can only be assumed to be some 30 very hated teachers who had taken part in the case.
Co-Founder of the controversial site, Stephane Cola, defended his company by saying, "The ranking and evaluation of professionals on the Web is a fundamental principle and a primary motor of the Internet around the world".
Education Minister Xavier Darcos, obviously fearful of the criticism he would get if a similar site was opened rating government ministers, commended the verdict, saying that he "totally supported teachers whose difficult mission will not be the object of anonymous attacks on the Internet." µ
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