The Prime Minister seized the subject Tuesday in the National Assembly, during questions to the government. "We will make the fight against bullying the top priority for the start of the 2023 school year," she said.

She also expressed "all her solidarity and support" to the family of Lindsay, a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), who committed suicide on May 12, victim of school bullying.

The girl's mother and stepfather said they were to be received Wednesday by Brigitte Macron, who is very involved in the issue of harassment.

After these criticisms, Pap Ndiaye promised "additional resources", including the creation of a referent on harassment "in each establishment".

This official will be appointed from the beginning of the next school year, with additional remuneration for this mission, said the ministry. This could be a nurse, a senior education counsellor (CPE) or a teacher.

But "we must go further," hammered the Prime Minister.

She listed the other actions of the government: "extend to high school" the Phare program to fight against bullying at the beginning of the school year, "further protect students who are victims in primary school by opening by decree the possibility of removing from a school a student who is the author of bullying", a measure recently announced by the Minister of Education, "make mandatory the training of staff against harassment" and "increase the means of alert and listening platforms", 3020 (for families and victims) and 3018 (on cyberbullying), without further details.

Lawyer Pierre Debuisson (l) with Lindsay's family on June 1, 2023 in Vendin-le-Vieil © DENIS CHARLET / AFP

"It's going to take time"

Set up in 2019 and piloted for two years in six academies, the Phare programme was rolled out this year in all schools and colleges. According to the Ministry of Education, 91% of colleges and 64% of schools are now enrolled in this system.

It provides for the formation of a reference team of at least five people per college, the appointment and training of at least ten student ambassadors per college and ten hours of training per year for children.

But the effects of this system are still limited, because of the time required to set it up or due to lack of resources.

For Nicole Catheline, child psychiatrist and author of a book on the subject, who participated in the development of the Phare program, "as always, it will take time for it to be put in place". "We have trained about 50,000 teachers. There are 800,000," she added.

For her, in addition, "it is more the realization on the ground and the accompaniment of teachers that may pose a problem".

"We have not reached the end," said Jérôme Fournier, national secretary in charge of education issues at the SE-Unsa union.

For Rachel Marquer, principal of a college of 625 students in Châtellerault, who set up the program at the start of the 2021 school year, it has made it possible to "solve 80% of the situations that could become serious".

But "what is unfortunate is that it requires a lot of investment, and that it is not part of the missions that can be valued financially," she laments.

The effects of this program are also limited to the era of cyberbullying, which takes place outside of school. "It is absolutely necessary to constrain social networks," which are "far too hesitant," said Pap Ndiaye.

With his counterparts from Justice, Interior and Digital, he wants to meet the main managers of social networks so that they take up the subject "head-on and act in such a way as to block insulting messages".

© 2023 AFP