Nice Premium: How did this new school year start in Nice?
Agnès Rampal: The early start to the school year with the transition to a four-day week went well, to our great satisfaction, as it was quite the challenge for all our services: The communal buildings and municipal workshops that carry out large and small works during the summer holidays; the education sector completely had to revise the working hours of our 1,214 ATSEM and AT who work in our schools and the 1,016 canteen supervisors!
NP: Did the four-day week receive positive feedback from parents and teachers?
AR: The reception of the four-day week was excellent because this change was widely supported by them during the survey we conducted before embarking on this significant change, especially since it has a considerable cost: 1.2 million euros in canteen expenses by the Town Hall for the additional 12 days of canteen.
NP: Any changes in terms of IT?
AR: Yes, a major IT change this year: 2,250 new computer stations will be deployed in all classrooms, including kindergartens: a modern and standardized fleet that will enable essential telephone maintenance for quick troubleshooting: this provision, combined with the significant effort made by the academic inspection in this area, should boost the learning of IT among our students.
NP: Any other projects for the 2007 school year?
AR: For this year, we have also increased the number of canteen supervisors for elementary classes because I noticed last year that many canteens complained about the noise and indiscipline of our older students: by increasing from one supervisor for 40 children to one for 30, this time will be better supervised: we have already received very positive feedback from some schools.
NP: If you could implement a project without worrying about the budget, what would you mainly do?
AR: It is true that the size of our city, with its 162 schools and nearly 28,000 students, makes any evolution very costly. But it seems to me that the extracurricular time (morning and evening nurseries and canteen time) under municipal responsibility, which lasts from 2 hours to nearly 4 hours a day, for a child who stays for both nurseries and lunch, could more often be transformed into recreational and educational activities, even if those prepared within the framework of the CEL and municipal action are very good.
NP: There was a talk, at one point, of a printed school journal. Where does this project stand?
AR: While the participation of schools in such a project is essential, some schools have already started publishing small journals on the internet. When the practice becomes more general, we can then try to gather all this information in a more comprehensive and easily accessible format for families.
NP: Finally, the school catering had some setbacks last year and then improved. What actions have you taken at the beginning of this year in this regard?
AR: The quality of school catering is a crucial subject, but pleasing 20,000 people every day is an impossible mission! The education service closely monitors this quality both in terms of the nutritional balance (which is important in the fight against obesity) of the offered menus, the quantities served, and the taste qualities: I regularly taste the meals served and I can assure you they are very decent; a menu committee also meets very regularly to establish their composition.
