National Education prohibits the use of inclusive writing

The Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer has officially banned the use of inclusive writing via a circular, explaining that its "complexity" and its "instability" constitute "obstacles to the acquisition of language as well as reading". This circular published Thursday in the Official Bulletin, for application in schools and the ranks of the ministry, recalls that "should be prohibited the use of so-called inclusive writing which uses in particular the midpoint to simultaneously reveal the female forms and masculine of a word used in the masculine when the latter is used in a generic sense ". 

Questioned before the Education Committee of the National Assembly Thursday evening, Jean-Michel Blanquer estimated that "there is a huge risk with the midpoint as regards the transmission of French".

According to this circular, "inclusive writing modifies compliance with the usual rules of agreement expected within the framework of educational programs".

In the JDD Sunday already, Jean-Michel Blanquer advanced, as does this text, that "putting dots in the middle of the words is a barrier to the transmission of our language for all, for example for the dyslexic pupils".

"We have a huge issue of consolidating fundamental knowledge and inclusive writing is a barrier to this issue", according to the minister. 

Feminization of functions

The circular specifies, however, that it is appropriate to apply the feminization of positions when they are occupied by women: "the title of positions held by a woman must be systematically feminized according to the rules set out in the feminization assistance guide. the names of trades, titles, ranks and functions developed by the National Center for Scientific Research and the National Institute of the French Language ", she underlines.

In a statement, the SUD education union said "demand from the minister that he stop trying to impose his backwardness on the educational community", calling on "the staff to disregard these instructions from another time. and to exercise as they wish, depending on professional situations, the full use of their educational freedom ".

Politically, the subject is divisive.

The debate, Thursday in the Senate relating to inclusive writing, "language of exclusion or exclusion by language", resulted in a dialogue of the deaf where opponents and supporters recited their arguments.

In the Assembly, a bill prohibiting the use of inclusive writing to people in charge of a public service mission was tabled by François Jolivet (LREM).