Political Silence After Citizen Convention on Child Education Reform Raises Concerns

The citizen convention on children's time, held in Paris on November 21, 2025, proposed ambitious reforms to France's education system, including a five-day school week, reshaped teaching knowledge, later start times for middle schools, and maintained vacation lengths but with altered periodicity. However, nearly a week after concluding, these proposals have met with near-total political silence.

No government minister was present during the November 23 vote on the report at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, and there has been no comment from the executive branch. President Emmanuel Macron, who initiated the convention with a focus on shortening what he considers overly long school vacations, has notably remained silent on the recommendations, despite their significance.

This hush from political leaders contrasts with Macron’s recent active stance on other youth issues. On November 28, while visiting the Vosges, Macron announced plans to extend the ban on mobile phones, currently enforced in middle schools, to high schools starting next school year. He highlighted a "crisis of attention" among young people, who spend an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes daily on social media, describing it as an addictive dependency similar to drug use. He also linked this to rising loneliness and mental health challenges among youths and reiterated his intention to prohibit social media access for children under 15, aiming to strengthen digital protections.

While Macron’s mobile phone policy signals engagement with youth-related matters, the silence on the citizen convention’s education reform proposals has raised concerns amid a complex budgetary debate and a National Assembly without a majority. The convention’s participants, hoping their proposals would spark political action, are now confronting the evident lack of government attention.