Enlarge image

Student in Beziers in uniform: “I have the impression that I’m taking my child to Harry Potter’s school.”

Photo: Pascal Guyot / AFP

Dark blazers with a school logo over white polo shirts: The southern French city of Béziers has been one of the first schools in France to test “uniform clothing” for school children since Monday.

Four primary schools with more than 700 students are taking part in the test suggested by President Emmanuel Macron.

"It looks great.

"I feel like I'm taking my child to Harry Potter's school," a mother told broadcaster BFM.

To avoid the term “school uniform,” it is called “uniform clothing.”

So far, almost 100 schools have registered for the test phase.

That is slightly less than the government was aiming for.

Macron wants to introduce the clothing nationwide in 2026 if it proves successful.

Scientific evaluation planned

“There will be a scientific evaluation,” said the rector of the Montpellier Academy, Sophie Béjean, to the broadcaster BFM.

“It is being examined how uniform clothing affects the feeling of belonging and the working atmosphere,” she said.

Advocates of school uniforms point out that this makes social differences less visible.

Uniform clothing also reduces stress for some parents who regularly argue with children about clothing issues.

Critics counter that social differences can still be seen in shoes, bags and cell phones.

The right-wing mayor of Béziers, Robert Ménard, has been campaigning for school uniforms for years.

"The school needs strong symbols, and the uniform is one of them," he said.

200 euros per child

The equipment costs 200 euros per child, half of which is financed by the state and half by the municipality.

The uniform clothing is free for families, at least in the test phase.

The children reacted partly with pride and partly with disappointment.

"I think I'm very beautiful," said a girl who was testing a skirt with integrated shorts.

"The gray is too dreary for me, but you can get used to it," said a boy to the BFM station, which shows a class dressed in gray sweaters.

“That hides the differences”

Some also suspect the influence of French President's wife Brigitte Macron behind the test introduction of school uniforms.

The 70-year-old wore a uniform when she was young.

"15 years in a dark blue skirt with a dark blue sweater, and that's been fine for me," she said in an interview about a year ago.

"It hides the differences and wastes less time," she argued.

She is therefore in favor of introducing school uniforms that should be “simple but not drab”.

The National Assembly in 2023 rejected a bill from the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National (RN), which wanted to make the wearing of school uniforms compulsory.

sun/AFP