VIDEO. The Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet, answers questions from Internet users on Brut

Regarding the possible ban on mobile phones in secondary schools, Nicole Belloubet, Minister of National Education and Youth, declared: “It’s true that cell phones, in principle, are prohibited, but in reality, there are plenty of students who have their cell phones, who look at them during recess, who film themselves, etc. And all this creates, it seems to me, disturbances or distractions. And so I would like that during college, there would be a real digital break so that we can devote ourselves to other activities which simply consist of talking to others, reading, listening to each other, to reflect on. It seems to me that it is important to have time without digital activity”. Concretely, Nicole Belloubet suggests coming to college without a cell phone or leaving your phone in a sort of locker in the morning. “This is what we do when we go to the Council of Ministers”.

“Dropping out of school is a real concern”

Concerning the salaries of teachers, the minister recalls: “I am a teacher. I know what it means to prepare lessons, correct papers, train. I pay tribute to my predecessors, the President of the Republic and the previous Prime Minister, who invested a lot in national education. We have the first state budget with more than 66 billion euros. It’s a budget that has increased by 15 billion in a few years, and part of these increases has been used to improve the remuneration of our teachers, but especially those at the start of their careers.”. Regarding the decision taken by Gabriel Attal on the ban on the wearing of the abaya in schools, Nicole Belloubet is firm: “I do not intend to reconsider this decision. I consider that in our establishments the principle of secularism must prevail. The principle of secularism is basically a principle of neutrality and therefore of equality. It is on this neutral ground that our teachings can best be delivered. Teachings that are based on reason, on science and not on beliefs” adding that in 2004 “already, a law prohibited and still prohibits the wearing of signs manifesting ostensible affiliation to a religion or philosophy”.

Finally, on the subject of dropping out of school, for the minister “this is a real concern since ultimately, our whole ambition is to give each young person a real place in society and to give them the tools to find this place. This means that we must continue to do a lot of work in terms of guidance, in terms of supporting the choices of young people. This also undoubtedly means that we have to put in place somewhat innovative teaching systems, that is to say, for certain students, we cannot offer another way of teaching. ? This is a point on which I think a lot and I hope to be able to provide solutions in this context, in this sense.”.