មាតិកា
New Extracurricular Activities: first assessment
NAPs: disparities depending on the school
Since September 2014, schools have organized their week over 5 mornings. The three hours freed up were therefore carried over to two days of the week, most often from 15 p.m. to 16 p.m. It is during this free time that extracurricular activities are offered to the children of parents who so wish. Depending on the municipality, the activities differ. Each municipality has set up specific activities (cultural, sports, leisure) or a nursery, free or paid (between 1 and 2 euros, depending on the family quotient or not). A disparity that is also felt in the speech of parents.
Differences of appreciation depending on the family
A large survey * took place in October 2014, at the initiative of the PEEP (Federation of Parents of Public Education Students), after the start of the school year. This revealed that for ” 9% of parents questioned the NAPs were poorly organized and that 47% thought that the extracurricular activities offered to primary school pupils were of no educational interest ”. This is the case with Aurélie: “The TAPs (Extracurricular Activities Time) are grouped together on Friday afternoons. But the pupils of the small section are in bed until 16:20 p.m. So there is nothing in the end. The medium and large sections play ball in the yard and when it rains they are all gathered in a room waiting for time to pass ”.
In response, François Testu states: “ Effectively everything depends on the municipality. In some municipalities, the animators are really trained in sport, or they come from a cultural association. In some small towns, I have even seen activity leaders with no real training, doing their utmost to offer children quality activities without a budget. The children would not have had the opportunity to practice it if not for lack of means in the family ”. Some parents are therefore satisfied with the NAPs offered. “In my child’s school, TAPs take place from 15pm to 15pm. Between each school holiday period, the themes and workshops change. Besides, I run a magic workshop myself, the children love it, everything is going well… ”, confided this mother.
Nevertheless, the fatigue of toddlers is very often mentioned. For François Testu, children need this free time and not, again, “activities that overload their day”. He insists that “ NAPs can be a time when children simply draw or play together "។
* PEEP survey carried out at the national level with 4 responses from parents.
Parents associations are divided
Paul Raoult, president of the FCPE, explains that “the three hours freed up by the reform must be considered by parents as hours of leisure”. He thinks parents have misinterpreted the notion of extracurricular activities: “ That some municipalities have decided to offer cultural and sporting activities because they could, so much the better. But it was not planned in the initial project "។
As for the PEEP, in November 2014, it asked for “the repeal of the decree of January 2013 on new school rhythms for kindergartens and a relaxation for primary schools”. Valérie Marty, president of PEEP, explained to RTL’s microphone on February 10 that “sometimes, the inconsistency in the activities offered causes chaos among toddlers, and parents realize it every day. “ In the end, she is not surprised that the reform does not win the support of all because many “parents note the fatigue of the children and the mediocrity of certain extracurricular activities, which have an impact on their success. “