Illustration back to school at college and textbooks.

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A. GELEBART / 20 MINUTES

  • Four years ago, the Haute-Garonne departmental council launched a plan to improve social mix in colleges and put an end to the ghettoization of two of them.

  • While the reconstruction of the Mirail colleges continues at the edge of the district for more diversity, nearly 900 students in their area are educated in more privileged establishments.

  • According to National Education, the educational level of its students has improved.

On the side of Eisenhower Avenue, on the edge of Mirail, an imposing building begins to take shape.

This future college should welcome at the start of the 2022 school year students from the Saint-Simon district, but also from Reynerie.

Its construction was decided more than four years ago, when the departmental council put in place a plan to fight against the phenomenon of ghettoization of certain Toulouse establishments.

To improve social diversity, the community has decided to gradually close the Raymond-Badiou and Bellefontaine colleges and to rebuild two new ones on the outskirts, with a more balanced school map.

Pending their opening in 2022, nearly 900 students from these working-class neighborhoods have already been educated in more advantaged colleges in the city center and in the metropolitan area.

Rising educational level

"Promoting diversity is a factor of success for studies but also of republican integration", pleads Georges Méric, the president of the departmental council of Haute-Garonne who has also put in place financial means to support this process. .

And according to a first assessment made on Wednesday, this integration of young people from working-class neighborhoods in Pierre-de-Fermat or at Balma college seems to have effects on their educational level.

I visited with @PhDestable, Deputy DASEN of Haute-Garonne, the site of the future # Saint-Simon college which will open its doors in September 2022.

Its construction is in line with @HauteGaronne's desire to promote social diversity in colleges and equal opportunities.

pic.twitter.com/ACpQwDtdsi

- Georges Méric (@GeorgesMeric) January 27, 2021

"While one student in 20 of the colleges concerned had more than 12 on average in the patent before the mixed plan, they are now 5 out of 20", underlined Philippe Destable, deputy academic director.

For him, this device has other effects, in particular that of the “perseverance” of the pupils.

If several of them were stalled before, there are no more today.

And some even have great results.

With the opening of these new colleges, on which Mirail students will depend today in primary school, the question of maintaining social diversity also arises in downtown colleges.

"The will is to keep it where it was introduced", argues Georges Méric.

A bonus-malus for more diversity

To encourage these more “privileged” establishments to continue welcoming students whose parents have low incomes, the community set up a financial incentive system more than two years ago.

Up to now, the educational portion that finances educational projects is on average 54 euros per student.

If they play the game of diversity, this endowment is increased, if this is not the case it is reduced.

Last year, out of the 96 public colleges in the department, 60 received a bonus, 35 had the average amount maintained and one establishment was awarded a penalty.

In the private sector, the trend is the opposite.

Of the 21 colleges, only one received a bonus, six maintained the 54 euros per pupil and 14 received a penalty.

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  • Diversity

  • Social

  • Toulouse

  • Middle School

  • National Education

  • Society