Six weeks before the start of the school year, nothing has been settled in Nice and the surrounding Métropole regarding school rhythms. The extracurricular activities are crystallizing the anger of the PS group, which is demanding they be free of charge.
On September 2, thousands of preschool and primary school students will start their school year in France. However, the debate about school rhythms remains unresolved.
The first decree was published on January 20, 2013, and 18 months later the uncertainty remains prevalent in Nice, frustrating Patrick Allemand, a municipal councilor in the Nice city hall, affiliated with the PS: “The law must be applied throughout the Republic. The last bastion of resistance in France is here in Nice and the Métropole. We are now in a state of urgency and haste because there is no answer about what the young people of Nice will do at the start of the school year.”
The anger of the PS group in Nice also stems from a letter sent by the UMP mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. Thousands of parents of preschool and primary school children received it on July 13. It included a letter from the mayor as well as two questionnaires: an administrative one “Application for Enrollment in Extracurricular Activities 2014-2015” and a more political one “Consultation on School Rhythms, September 2014 Start.”
Parents were asked to respond “favorable or unfavorable” to the implementation of the school rhythms “imposed by the government.” This is what caused the misunderstanding for Patrick Allemand and his advisors: “This questionnaire is shameful. We denounce it as a political manipulation.”
The latest point of contention is the cost of extracurricular activities for parents. A fee of 15€ per month will be charged to families who enroll their child in these activities between 3:45 PM and 4:30 PM, totaling 150€ for the year. The PS group is demanding the TAEP (time for educational extracurricular welcome) be free, as is the case in Bordeaux, a UMP-led city.
Patrick Allemand and his advisors point to the aid promised by the State and the CAF (50€ per child) and the real cost to the city, which they estimate at 3.2 million euros per year compared to the 6 million mentioned by Christian Estrosi. The debate reemerges during the school holidays and is far from being over, particularly in Nice.
