“You break, you repair; you dirty, you clean; you challenge authority, you are taught to respect it. » Returning to the urban riots of the summer of 2023, Gabriel Attal announced in his general policy speech to the deputies the creation of “work of educational interest” for those under 16, which “will be equivalent” to the work of general interest and will be “given more easily”. “This will be part of the review of the scale of sanctions in our educational establishments,” then specifies the Prime Minister.
“Accountability measures” can already be issued in middle and high schools. Alternative solution to an exclusion or preceding it, these sanctions, pronounced by the head of the establishment or the disciplinary council, aim to “enable students to participate, outside of teaching hours, in solidarity activities, cultural or training for educational purposes”, according to the website of the Ministry of National Education Eduscol, and can be carried out outside the establishment.
However, this work of educational interest would concern “certain minors aged between 13 and 16, who have already dropped out of school and have committed offenses”, it is specified within the executive. The envisaged measure, which must be discussed as part of a bill on juvenile justice in the first semester, would consist of “educational monitoring for three months accompanied by an obligation to follow education, participation in activities awareness of justice issues as well as participation in a civic activity” for the benefit of an association or a local community “for a limited number of hours”.
