From June, a new citizen convention should reflect on a reorganization of school rate. In the past, Emmanuel Macron has already expressed certain ideas, which could resurface during the debates.
Emmanuel Macron decided to use the gentle method – a citizen convention on “Children’s times” – To tackle an ultrasensible theme in France: the organization of the school rate. The last important reform on this theme dates back to 2013, at the start of the Holland five -year period; It was the very controversial passage of the week of four days to four and a half days. This measure had been called into question as early as 2017 by Jean-Michel Blanquer. Since this bitter experience, successive ministers of education have been rather chilly, despite a frequently reaffirmed desire for change.
Emmanuel Macron’s general objective with this new operation, revealed by The ParisianEast “To ensure that the organization of our students’ days is more favorable to their development and learning”. In short, whether they are less tired, more alert and in optimal arrangements to learn. Already in June 2023, during a trip to a Marseille school, the president had deplored “Let us stuff the weeks of our children”. «It is because children leave too early and have a vacation that have rather elongated over the past 20 years that you have your same children who arrive punctuated every evening ”he said.
“Very very long” summer holidays
He then attacked the first totem: The duration of school holidays. For several years, the French president no longer hides his convictions on this theme: he wants to reduce the leave of schoolchildren. Last February, he recalled that they had a summer vacation “Very very long” . Consequence, according to him, “Children who are not very accompanied by their families will often lose from the school level”. The current Minister of Education, Élisabeth Borne, held the same line in January when she deplored that “Long cuts result in level losses for the most fragile students”.
If no measure has yet been taken, Emmanuel Macron had already suggested, in an interview with Pointthe possibility of a school year “From August 20” For students in difficulty. Élisabeth Borne, more elusive, had spoken in January a possible modification from the start of the 2026 school year. To support this idea, all refer to what takes place in the neighboring countries of France, often presented as more laborious.
With just over 16 weeks of vacation in the year, according to the OECD, French schoolchildren are among the most spoiled in Europe. Only Greece, Romania and the Baltic States offer more leave. In Germany, there is only a little more than 9 weeks annual, 10 in Denmark, 13 in Spain. However, in terms of summer holidays, with its 8 weeks, France is under the European average (9.2 weeks). The little Italians take advantage of 13 weeks and about 9 for the Poles, the Austrians and the Finns.
A reduction in daily schedules
The reduction in vacation time that French leaders would not be called without any advantage for students. A Delighting daily schedules could be one of the consequences. In The pointEmmanuel Macron had deplored “Too busy days”. For several years, specialists have been pleasing for a later start of the course day. The pediatrician Cécile Levavasseur, author of a Guide for young parents who do not want to die of exhaustion (Nathan, 2022)suggests a starting of courses at 8 a.m. in kindergarten and primary school, but 9 a.m. in college and 9:30 a.m. in high school, to adapt to the sleep of young people. According to the doctor, interviewed by Le Figaro in 2022, difficult for a teenager in full growing and pushed by hormones to fall asleep before 11 p.m.
In September 2024, it was the young Tiktokeur, Senseidmots, who had issued a proposal that caught the government’s attention: gather the hours of lessons between 8 a.m. and noon in college and high school. After his video that became viral, he had launched a petition on this theme which had collected 300,000 favorable signatures. “”It did not fall into the ears of a deaf ”said Emmanuel Macron, a few months later after the influencer was received at the Ministry of Education.
If the question of school time has been discussed many times and avenues have already been launched by the government, the citizen convention will be responsible for reappearing everything. This subject has been the subject of numerous blockages of teaching unions in the past, it will therefore be necessary to walk skillfully to hope for results. The secretary general of SNES-FSU was quick to go up to the niche, denouncing on Friday evening on France Inter “A big dull exercise” Who “Passing out on national education emergencies”. According to her, the debate over the duration of school holidays is just a way “To activate a form of” Prof Bashing “against teachers who, [aux yeux d’Emmanuel Macron]are too often on vacation ”.
