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The unique status of the bilingual establishment, which welcomes French and Italian students, is currently being renegotiated. The city of Menton wants the school’s operating expenses to be better distributed. On this first day back at school, teachers and parents are worried.
The lessons of the CE1-CE2 class always begin in French. Teacher Rosalinda Esposito presents “the new reading corner”, request for “leave the square stored in its pocket” and moves on to introductions. Italian quickly comes out. “Three, two, one”, she counts, asking for silence. «Well done!» to congratulate. “It just is” against noise. It’s back to school at the French school in Ventimiglia. This Monday, September 2, the 87 students file into the four classes. At the same time, teachers and parents are worried about the future of these bilingual classes. The unique status of this cross-border establishment is currently being renegotiated.
The months of the year are written in Italian but The Marseillaise is hung on the door. On the board in the CP class, the date is written in both languages. In CM1-CM2, maps of the two countries are displayed. The students start talking about their holidays in the language of Molière, they end up in that of Dante. “This school has a special status, notes Emilie Mousselle, educational advisor for the sector. It is a public, secular, free school on Italian soil.” The French school in Ventimiglia opened in the 1960s. A single class then educated the children of French customs officers and railway workers, who had settled in Ventimiglia to manage the border and the railway network. “Its status is unique and does not fall within the
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