France relies on vaccinations as a guarantee for trouble-free school operations despite the spread of the Delta variant.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has now presented his plans for the end of the summer holidays.

Vaccinated pupils in the middle and upper grades should no longer have to suffer any impairments in classroom teaching.

Only her unvaccinated classmates have to go into quarantine at home if a positive case is found in the school class.

The vaccinated students are still allowed to come to class.

"We want there to be fewer impairments in the next school year," said Blanquer on the radio station France Info on Wednesday evening.

The new rules are a "strong incentive to vaccinate".

Michaela Wiegel

Political correspondent based in Paris.

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According to the French Ministry of Health, the first vaccination rate in the age group between 12 and 17 years is 32 percent.

Only 12 percent of adolescents are fully vaccinated.

As in Germany, with the approval of the Moderna vaccine, a second vaccine is now available for this age group.

The Minister of Education stated that vaccinated pupils could take part in class trips to museums, the cinema or the theater.

The organization for unvaccinated students is too complicated, so they are excluded from extra-school activities for the time being.

Vaccination without parental consent

Blanquer spoke out against compulsory vaccination for teachers. The vaccination rate among educators is more than 80 percent, pressure is not necessary. In the primary schools nothing changes at the beginning of the school year in September. With the younger children, the class must be closed and switched to online lessons if a child tests positive. France is one of the EU countries that have relied most heavily on face-to-face teaching in the past.

Union representatives complained after the education minister's announcement that the benefits for the vaccinated students were discriminatory. Education is only available to some of the children. Blanquer pointed out that 16 to 18-year-old students can now be vaccinated without the consent of their legal guardians. With this, France wants to bring the young people's right to self-determination more into the foreground. Until now, minors had to show their parents' consent and have a legal guardian accompany them to the vaccination appointments.

The French Vaccination Commission, headed by its President Alain Fisher, does not share the skepticism of the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) in Germany, which recommends vaccinations for twelve to seventeen year olds only with certain previous illnesses.

Fisher even called for vaccinations directly in the school buildings, as this would then affect all children and have high educational value.

Voluntary school vaccinations in the UK, Germany and Australia to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) have been very successful, Fisher said.

France should use these campaigns as an example in the pandemic.

Union officials pointed out that air filters were inadequate in most schools.

They regretted that Education Minister Blanquer did not mention upgrading with efficient virus filters.