Amélie Oudéa-Castéra had to justify the schooling of her three children at the Parisian private school Stanislas, under investigation for suspicions of sexism, homophobia and anti-abortion remarks.
The grouping of the ministries of National Education and Sports under the same portfolio raised some eyebrows after Thursday’s reshuffle. Now, it is the minister appointed to head this dual portfolio who is the subject of controversy. From her first trip to a college in Yvelines, alongside Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra had to respond to criticism aroused by her choice to send her children to the private Stanislas college-high school in Paris.
The three children of the new Minister of National Education are enrolled in this private Catholic establishment in the 6th arrondissement of the capital. However, the establishment is the subject of serious suspicions of homophobic, sexist and anti-abortion abuses. In 2022, Médiapart, The Express then Brut had revealed testimonies and documents betraying a climate conducive to reactionary speeches. Following these revelations, the Ministry of National Education contacted the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) in May 2023.
“A choice of proximity”, assures the minister
The IGESR submitted an investigation report to Gabriel Attal, which has not yet been made public. It is now in the hands of Amélie Oudéa-Castéra that the file falls. Questioned on the subject, the minister rejected the accusations and justified her choice to send her children to Stanislas: “I will tell you this story. That of our eldest, Vincent, who started like his mother at public school, the one de Littré”, she explained during her trip to Yvelines alongside Gabriel Attal. “And then the frustration of his parents, my husband and I, who saw lots of hours that were not seriously replaced,” she continued.
“At one point, we got fed up, like the parents of thousands of families who made the choice to seek a different solution,” concluded Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. “We lived on rue Stanislas, sending our children to school in Stanislas was a local choice,” she assures us.
“Before stigmatizing the choice of parents, it is important to remember that the school is that of the Republic and that the Republic works with everyone as long as we meet its expectations. requirements and its values”, attacked the minister.