Since the start of the school year, five schools in the capital of the Côte d’Azur have been experimenting with wearing the single uniform. For the local Greens, the sum invested in the project could have been better spent.
The Figaro Nice
Across France, a number of primary, middle and high school students did not have to worry this year about their choice of clothing for the start of the school year. They are part of schools that are experimenting with wearing the single outfit following the announcement, at the end of 2023, by the then Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal. The city of Nice, which had immediately volunteered at the time, saw the students of five of its elementary schools (out of 149) put on their navy blue t-shirts and polo shirts for the first time on Monday.
In total, 1,100 students are involved in this experiment, which is set to last two years and remains free for families as it is co-financed by the City and the National Education system. Objective: to promote “equal opportunities, belonging to a collective sharing the same values” and contribute “to the fight against all forms of proselytism and discrimination”recalls the municipality of Christian Estrosi (Horizons) by way of press release. According to the community, the cost of this measure amounts to 104,000 euros, or 80 euros per student.
If wearing a uniform had proven its effectiveness in erasing social inequalities and restoring authority, we would know about it!
Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, the leader of the Greens in Nice
“With this money, we could do so much better. Recruit more staff per school, for example, particularly on the subject of harassment. We could also use it to improve computer equipment, when we know that some teachers are obliged to come with their own computer.”argues Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, the leader of the environmentalists in Nice. And she continues: “There is also significant work to be done in our schools, such as thermal insulation. That would be much more useful than T-shirts with the city’s logo on them…” The latter sees behind this approach only a “new communication operation as Mr. Estrosi knows how to do very well”Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux assures us that her opposition has nothing to do with ideology: “No, I’m just being pragmatic. If wearing a uniform had proven its effectiveness in erasing social inequalities and restoring authority, we would know about it!”she growls.
8 million euros of work each year
At the town hall, no one deigns to respond to this new outburst from the “greens”. So we are referred to the latest press release which lists local data on education. We learn, among other things, that 2,000 people are mobilized to support schoolchildren and National Education staff in the city’s public institutions. In terms of work, 5.4 million euros were invested this summer for “renovate, beautify, modernize and plant the public schools of Nice. 110 have benefited from the work”Waterproofing, painting, facade renovation, replacement of IT equipment or even changing boilers.
And the municipality recalls that “Every year, more than 8 million euros are spent on work in schools”. 110 courtyards will be planted by 2026, for example, the city promises, or about one hectare for an investment of three million euros. Regarding the school climate, the city prides itself on having set up in 2015, after the attack on Charlie Hebdo a “citizen passport”, an educational tool for raising awareness of citizenship among children.
