For years, the reform of the student grant system has come up regularly.
Claimed by the student unions and promised by the government, it has still not seen the light of day.
In its annual report published on Wednesday, the Court of Auditors calls for this reform, necessary given the extent of precariousness among students.
The health crisis, which has brought this poverty to light, may make it possible to move forward on this stalled file.
"UNEF must organize food distributions for students who cannot afford to buy food, proof that current scholarships are out of breath compared to the needs of young people", enrages Mélanie Luce, president of the union.
The student food queues during the winter of 2020-2021 were among the most striking images of the health crisis in France and the symbol of the precariousness of youth.
A poverty which has not escaped the Unef, but which was also noted by the Court of Auditors in its annual report, submitted on Wednesday.
Quite dithyrambic on the state aid distributed in 2021, the institution, on the other hand, curbs the financial support provided to students, deemed “insufficient” and “too late”.
But beyond this criticism, the Court of Auditors also encourages a more structural reflection on the student aid system, in particular the distribution of grants on social criteria, the current format of which would have shown its limits.
“The crisis therefore invites us to rethink the methods of taking income into account for the calculation of scholarships.
The challenge is to better respond, in real time, to the needs of students", notes the report, which wishes to "ensure that the criteria for awarding grants are the most appropriate in relation to student precariousness and that the temporality on which this precariousness is assessed is adequate.
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The sea serpent of Macronie
The observation is not new – the Court of Auditors refers to a previous report dating from 2015 – nor is the desire to reform the stock exchanges.
Emmanuel Macron had made the "strengthening of the student aid and scholarship system" one of the campaign promises in 2017. But it has become a real sea serpent. "Nothing has been done for five years on the subject, while the government keeps talking about it”, plague Eléonore Schmitt, spokesperson for the student union L'Alternative.
Latest example: in October 2021, when the Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal, indicated that the government was “conceptually ready” to review the scholarship allocation system, but that “nothing would be done and ready before the end of the quinquennium.
A memory that bores Eléonore Schmitt more than it disappoints her: “We have not expected anything from this government for a long time.
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Insufficient income
This pessimism of the activist in no way erases the sense of urgency she feels in the face of the situation: "We must change the scholarship system, which does not protect well against precariousness".
The unions' attacks focus on two main themes: first, the amount paid.
The maximum is currently 574 euros monthly, for a level 7 student (the highest level of scholarship possible).
That is more than 500 euros below the poverty line in France, established at 1,113 euros, points out the spokesperson for Alternative.
"However, it is the only source of finance for these students, who live in extreme poverty," she adds.
The duration of the scholarships also poses a problem for the unions: apart from the few students who extend their studies during the summer, the scholarships are only awarded for ten months.
In fact, spread over the 12 months of the year instead of 10, the monthly amount of a step 7 drops to 478 euros.
"Even in summer, we're hungry, you know," clearly reminds Lucile, a law student.
Scholarships yes, but for whom?
"The level of scholarships is indecent compared to needs," says Louis Maurin, director of the Observatory of Inequalities.
Besides the case of the most precarious pointed out above, “the lower middle class is often not eligible for scholarships.
This cuts off part of the population from the most expensive studies, or even simply from Parisian faculties, whose accommodation is sometimes too expensive, ”he laments.
Currently, only 27% of students are scholarship holders, leaving many precarious non-eligible as the report of the Court of Auditors points out: “The pandemic has shown that a part of non-scholarship students was clearly exposed to the risk of precariousness”.
Second major axis targeted by the unions: the allocation system, based on parental income.
"It's terribly infantilizing", despairs Mélanie Luce, who regrets a system that often falls short of the mark: "It is not because the parents' income is high that the student will have a lot of means" .
Finding confirmed by Lucile: “Not only do my parents give me almost nothing, but in addition, I only have their financial help if I do this kind of “prestigious” studies.
If I had wanted to go to arts, they wouldn't have given me anything.
For the president of Unef, “the current system puts students in a relationship of dependence on the wishes of their parents.
We are legally major at 18, we would like to be socially major also at this age and have our own helpers,
The crisis to finally unblock the situation?
The Unef pleads for "an autonomy allowance or universal aid, the amount of which would vary according to the student's situation".
Same fight at L'Alternative, which wants "a study allowance fixed on the amount of the poverty line".
But activists know the fight will be long.
Will the health crisis, which has highlighted student precariousness, finally make it possible to move things?
Mélanie Luce is skeptical: “That the crisis has increased student precariousness and urgency is obvious.
But will that be enough?
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Doubts shared by Eléonore Schmitt: “Poverty has been there for a long time, and nothing is moving forward.
I would like it to be different this time, but I don't really believe in it”.
Last nail by Louis Maurin: “There has always been considerable hypocrisy from all governments on the student situation.
It is a scandal, but a scandal in silence.
It shows the consideration we have for our youth, but also for our education.
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