Sports equipment by the thousands and a major renovation plan for school buildings which are notoriously thermal sieves: Emmanuel Macron continued on Tuesday to decline announcements in education, his new “reserved area”.
Second day of school and already a lot of homework. After the vacation calendar, the history program and clothing, the Head of State opened the chapter on the energy renovation of schools, colleges and high schools.
With great ambitions: “Our goal is within ten years to be able to renovate 40,000-44,000”, he said during a trip to Daniel Argote college in Orthez (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) . The challenge is already perceptible, as 12 million students have just resumed classes under an oppressive heat wave across the country.
To reach the target and “generalize” this energy renovation, “we will take a series of initiatives”, added Mr. Macron. The “green fund” created last year will thus be used to the tune of 500 million euros in 2024. The Caisse des Dépôts is also mobilized, with 2 billion euros in loans promised by 2027 via the Bank of Territories.
Efforts to be brought back to the 40 billion euros needed to renovate some 49,000 schools in France and reduce their energy consumption by 40%, according to the plan presented in May by the government.
“It’s a good thing to continue to focus on this theme”, but “it’s not enough, we need to go even further”, reacted Guillaume Perrin, coordinator of the ACTEE program, which brings together local authorities managing school buildings.
Other disgruntled people were kept away from the presidential visit: around sixty trade unionists and left-wing activists demonstrated for “the defense of public schools”. Not guaranteed according to them by the choices of the executive. “They talk to us about sport, SNU (Universal National Service), secularism but it’s not about anything! We want to talk about salaries, means and equality”, protested Dimitri Desurmon, of the CGT Educ ‘ action.
During this time, the Head of State rolled out his program, flanked by the Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal, and the mayor of Pau, François Bayrou. Olympic year obliges, priority to sport with an extension of 300 million euros to finance 5,000 new “grounds” of games, including a third in the priority districts of the city’s policy.
That’s as much as the equipment already created since 2021. “It will be 10,000 at the end of 2026, it’s the legacy of the Olympic Games. You are the 2024 generation”, launched Mr. Macron to Orthézien college students, pioneers of the two additional hours of sport per week. A measure extended this year to 700 establishments and which is intended to be generalized within three years.
“We learn better by playing sports at school,” said the President of the Republic, who had already hoped on Monday “that there will eventually be one hour of sports a day in primary school”. Even if some of the establishments have not yet implemented the half hour of “daily physical activity” introduced last year.
He also confirmed his project of “physical aptitude tests in 6th grade to better assess the evolution of the physical condition of young people”.
05/09/2023 17:06:50 – Orthez (France) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP