The city of Nice received the Marianne d’Or on Monday, September 4th, for all its citizen actions aimed at the youth.
Overlooking Old Nice, the Château school is an iconic institution of education in Nice. It is within its walls today that Alain Trampoglieri, the general secretary of the competition, placed the famous Marianne d’Or in the hands of the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. Thus, the city of Nice is once again rewarded for its territorial educational program. Indeed, already in 2016, the capital of the Côte d’Azur received its first Marianne d’Or for the previous version of the citizen booklet, which was implemented following the 2015 attacks.
In 1983, to address a certain deficit in pedagogy and civic instruction, two elected officials created the first national competition for excellence in the execution of local mandates: the Marianne d’Or. They were Edgar Faure and Alain Trampoglieri. Thus, for 40 years, mayors from all political backgrounds have been able to receive this award. The “Marianne d’Or” is, in fact, a precious label.
The heat in the schoolyard allowed Christian Estrosi to link it to his policy of greening schoolyards. Regarding the Château school, it will benefit from the budget for the greening of schoolyards amounting to 500,000 euros per year. Additionally, the Château school will benefit from the 100% culture program starting from this academic year.
Towards Strengthening Measures?
The awarding of this prize was an opportunity for Christian Estrosi to announce new measures in the educational sector. Thus, the 2023 school year is marked more than ever by the theme of “republican secularism.” In a context where secularism in schools is being debated and the State is considering introducing uniforms, the city of Nice advocates a particularly firm policy against breaches of secularism.
In addition to a citizen catalog distributed every year to students, a booklet solely dedicated to secularism will be delivered to them on December 9th, during the secularism day. Furthermore, the municipality aims to enhance activities highlighting republican values during the midday break and extracurricular times.
The city of Nice also aims to tackle the taboo of education on secularism and its violations. To do this, each staff member will be made aware of secularism issues, and a network of secularism coordinators will be created. Finally, the metropolis is addressing the sports sector, which it considers threatened by entryism.
A Citizenship Validated by a “Citizen Passport”
Established after the events of 2015, the “citizen passport” was developed by the city of Nice in collaboration with the National Education services. It is a unique tool to awaken citizenship in France. Addressed to elementary school students from CP to CM2, it consists of various sections and quizzes about France, the Republic, and its symbols. When Christian Estrosi wanted to test the civic instruction at the Château school, he was slightly taken aback by a bit of confusion.
“Who is Marianne?” he asked the students. “She’s the one who saved Nice!” one answered enthusiastically. Although Christian Estrosi admitted that: “Catherine Ségurane is a bit like our Marianne,” he reiterated his question. A little girl then answered with a delicate phrasing: “Marianne is the one who protects citizens.”
The Château school received, for the first time, a Marianne intended for schools! Christian Estrosi was keen to entrust the Marianne d’Or to the school. The school’s director proudly lifted these two busts of Marianne, “protector of citizens.” To conclude the award ceremony, the children proudly sang the Marseillaise, followed by the inevitable Nissa la Bella!
