“It’s a breath of fresh air for many families,” says the FCPE.

The aid, given subject to resource conditions and depending on the age groups of the children, can reach 400 euros. It is aimed at 3 million households.

The back-to-school allowance (ARS) is paid from Tuesday, August 20 in mainland France, as well as in Guadeloupe, Guyana and Martinique. This aid, the amounts of which are around 400 euros, subject to resource conditions, depending on age groups, concerns nearly 3 million families. This year, the ARS is increased by 4.6%, or around twenty euros more. For Grégoire Encel, national vice-president of the FCPE, the Federation of Parents’ Councils “It’s a breath of fresh air for many families,” he said on Tuesday on franceinfo.

“It’s not enough, but it’s a nice boost,” continues Grégoire Ensel who recalls that “The cost of schooling for a child is around 1,315 euros per year, including clothes, canteen, extracurricular activities and insurance”. According to the FCPE, this allowance does not cover all expenses. According to a recent report by the Confédération syndicale des familles (CSF), the cost of after-school care amounts to 322 euros per year and per child.

While this aid regularly causes controversy, with some criticizing the fact that it can be used for something other than the children’s education, the national vice-president of the FCPE insists on the fact that “it’s not a gift” made to families in difficulty, but well “help that allows them to prepare for their children’s return to school”. Several studies by the Family Allowance Fund also prove that almost all ARS beneficiaries spend it on purchasing school supplies and clothing.

The FCPE has been asking for years “free education” without resource conditions and “for everyone”Currently, the back-to-school allowance is allocated according to the resources of the year 2022 by the Family Allowance Funds or the Mutualité sociale agricole to parents of children aged 6 to 18. “Is it not up to the community, in the end, to eliminate inequalities and provide access to schooling and education for all, in certain supplies and outings?”asks Grégoire Ensel.

For him, it is a challenge “of equality”. “If we really want to provide equal opportunities and allow all students to develop themselves and have a successful academic career, it starts by asking these questions.”he adds. Grégoire Ensel also sees it as a way to achieve economies of scale. “If there is national solidarity, we could massify and have significant economies of scale thanks to group purchases on a national scale. There are savings to be made for the community, for families, and this is money that could be put elsewhere for families.”he concluded.