Are cell phones banned from all colleges? Will the uniform become compulsory? Noémie Bonnin, journalist at franceinfo, takes stock of the real and false news for the start of the school year.
Published
Reading time: 6 min
:quality(50)/2024/09/26/gettyimages-948543086-66f583e128f69289501685.jpg)
This year, the start of the school year in colleges was marked by several new features including the “digital break” and the wearing of uniforms, two experiments which raise questions. Noémie Bonnin, journalist specializing in education issues at franceinfo, responds to students from the Saint-Sauveur colleges in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Jules Ferry in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (Essonne). They also question “the real or false junior” about the Algerian spread “El Mordjene”.
Yes, phones are completely banned in some colleges
“Why are we going to be banned from using the telephone at school?” Archie wonders. Currently, what is prohibited is the use of cell phones. Students can keep their phone on them, but they must turn it off and leave it in their bag for the entire day. Except that this is not always respected. “What teachers, school life, and principals have noticed,” explains Noémie Bonnin, “is that even though it has been banned since 2018, students want to watch it at recess, during the lunch break, in the toilets, in the corridors or even sometimes in class.
Hence the idea of “the digital break” experimented with since the start of the school year. “It’s an experiment. In France, there are around 180 colleges which have embarked on this test of digital installation. It involves putting down your phone and only picking it up when you come out in the evening. It requires a little investment because, for example, you often have to buy special cupboards that close with a code or a key, or small suitcases for each class.
No, the generalization of the “digital break” has not been implemented
“Is it true that from 2025, we will no longer have our phones in college?” asks Fares. “It was a wish of former minister Nicole Belloubet, specifies Noémie Bonnin. It was she who launched the principle of the digital break, which we have just talked about. She said: ‘We are going to experiment from September and from January 2025, we will generalize it to all colleges.’ But that was his wish. And Nicole Belloubet is no longer a minister. So, we will see what the new Minister of National Education will decide on this subject.”
The new Minister of National Education, Anne Genetet, has been in office since the beginning of the week.
No, it is not planned that the uniform will become compulsory
“Is it true that the uniform could become compulsory in France?” Archie wonders. As with the cell phone ban, for the moment, this is an experiment. Around a hundred colleges – a very small minority – participate on a voluntary basis. Emmanuel Macron’s idea was to observe the impact of the uniform – Does it limit harassment for example? – And to take stock within two years. That is to say at the start of the 2026 school year. Before possibly generalizing it. At this stage, it is therefore not expected that the uniform will become compulsory in college.
No, El Mordjene spread is not prohibited due to its label
“I saw on Tiktok that the El Mordjene spread had been banned in France because the woman on the packaging wears a veil. Is that true?” Selina wonders. If this spread is banned in France it is for health reasons, it has nothing to do with the design that appears on the jar. El Mordjene is a cream made from roasted hazelnuts, milk and sugar, produced in Algeria. It had been on sale in France for several months, but it was this summer that it became a phenomenon on social networks. Thanks in particular to influencers who have done a lot of publicity for El Mordjene.
The problem is that the Algerian brand which produces this paste did not, in fact, have authorization to distribute it in France. The Ministry of Agriculture recalled last week: dairy products processed in Algeria cannot be distributed in the European Union, because this country does not respect European food safety standards.
Yes, some traders take advantage of this to inflate prices
“Will traders who still have spreads in stock increase prices since it becomes illegal in Europe?” This is already the case, Manon. While it was initially sold at 2.70 euros per 200 grams, some retailers last week offered pots of El Mordjene for 10 euros. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), in certain districts of Marseille we can even find pots for 30 euros each, or more than 10 times the starting price.