Capital Video: Boarding School, SNU, Ecological Citizen Service: Gabriel Attal signals the end of playtime for young people
© Bloomberg/Getty Images
No more fun for French schoolchildren. Gabriel Attal, the new Prime Minister, set the tone on Tuesday afternoon, January 30, during his general policy statement: “You destroy, you repair, you dirty, you clean”, he told the delegates. During his speech, which lasted more than an hour, the Matignon tenant listed the elements of his road map with a slogan “authority”. He wants it “enforcing respect everywhere (…) in classes, in families, on the streets”.
The program includes several measures that will concern French students, starting with the generalization in September 2026 of the single uniform in schools, provided that the conclusions of the experiment are positive. “We do not negotiate with the Republic”justified Gabriel Attal for whom the uniform is one “symbol of republican equality”. Not the Prime Minister “Don’t want to let go of anything.” For example, in the presence of excited parliamentarians, he announced the impending introduction of a new punishment “equivalent” community service for children under 16 years of age. Until now, juvenile delinquents escaped these punishments, which did not apply to them. The Prime Minister applied the following principle: “you challenge authority, you learn to respect it.”
Boarding school for juvenile delinquents
Children are not the only ones affected by this measure: parents too. Gabriel Attal also suggested the “establishing a community service order for parents of young delinquents who have completely evaded their parental responsibility”. The Prime Minister wants to include this measure in the youth law bill. However, the government leader believes that this is the case “There can be no question of overwhelming certain families” and especially single mothers. A solution for Gabriel Attal: boarding school. “If a young person is at a disadvantage, instead of allowing him or her to fall into delinquency, we will propose to parents that they place him or her in a boarding school, thereby facilitating access, including financial access”he declared.
Gabriel Attal, former Minister of National Education, wants it “civilian rearmament”. The Prime Minister wishes “Strengthen the republican unity of our youth”. It is with this aim that, during his general policy speech, he announced the future generalization of the “Universal National Service” (SNU) by the beginning of the 2026 school year. “to work” for the implementation of this campaign promise of the Head of State. For the time being, the SNU consists of a “cohesion stay” and a “mission of general interest”. It works on a voluntary basis.
Another option for young people, which should not be mandatory this time: ecological citizen service. “Making the ecological transition successful is the challenge of our generation. Our young people want to participate, participate, help. She wonders how she can be useful to the planet”, the Prime Minister justified. This citizen service should bring together 50,000 young people who want it by 2027 “making a concrete commitment to the climate”