Bad news for parents’ wallets, the kit which will constitute the new uniform for French students (five polo shirts, two sweaters and two pants) could be the responsibility of parents if the system were to become generalized, as announced by the Minister of Education. National Education Gabriel Attal.
School uniforms might cost money. Indeed, the price of the school uniform, the experimental phase of which will begin at the start of the 2024 school year, could well be borne by the parents of the students, or at least part of it. This is what the Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal announced on Friday December 15, 2023 at the microphone of RTL in Sunday Focus, in partnership with Ouest France. A hypothesis which would be valid, if the system were extended to all French students, at the end of the test phase. As a reminder, the “kit” is made up of five polo shirts, two sweaters and two pants per child for a value of around 200 euros. According to information sent by the Ministry of National Education to the local authorities concerned last week and relayed by France Info, the latter nevertheless assured that this cost would be borne half by the State, then in addition by local authorities such as the town hall, the region or the department. So this is just the cost of the test.
Wearing the uniform will first be tested in several voluntary territories. The departments of Allier, Alpes-Maritimes and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region have already expressed their motivation. As for the municipalities, Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), Reims (Marne) and Tourcoing (North) could be affected. The city of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) also volunteered for four establishments: “We have spoken with the different educational communities of these schools and we are operational to set up this experiment,” declared the mayor of Nice. the city, Christian Estrosi (Horizons) in a press release. Talmont-Saint-Hilaire (Vendée), Metz (Moselle), Bry-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne), Poissy (Yvelines), Denain (North), Cusset (Allier) and Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine) also showed significant interest in this novelty desired by Gabriel Attal.
Concerning their design, the uniforms of French students should be made in France. Indeed, the Ministry of National Education has already selected several French service providers to sew the clothes that the country’s students will wear for the major test phase which will begin next year. The final word will be given to the chosen community or city regarding the chosen manufacturer. It will be up to her to place her order and not to the government, but very likely to this pre-list of French service providers.
To try to get an idea of the future uniform that will be offered to our toddlers, it is possible to look at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul private school, in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). Since 2014, the Uniform is obligatory in this establishment! A blue polo shirt with the school name embroidered in green. For bottoms, in this school, families are free to choose between jeans, Bermuda shorts, leggings or even a skirt. Only one condition: it must be blue, like the top imposed by the school. This is an idea that could guide the government in its uniform project.