The start of the school year is fast approaching but not all students will have the chance to return to their school. In question, the riots of June following the death of Nahel which caused a lot of material damage in schools. On July 4, 2023, Pap Ndiaye, still Minister of National Education, since replaced by Gabriel Attal during the cabinet reshuffle, announced that 243 schools and educational establishments had been degraded following the riots following the death of Nahel on June 27. In detail, Pap Ndiaye, whose sister is none other than the famous writer Marie Ndiaye, had mentioned “sixty” of establishments with significant damage and a “ten” destroyed or partially destroyed. A month and a half after the events, the drafting of BFMTV/RMC estimated at around fifty schools are still unable to accommodate teachers and their students September 4th. The towns of Tourcoing (North), Mont-Saint-Martin (Meurthe-et-Moselle), Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) and La Verrière (Yvelines).
“It’s heartbreaking for adults and children alike.“
In two months, the mayors have been unable to organize the reconstruction of schools, in particular for insurance issues, as explained at the microphone of RMC Jean-Patrick Courtois, the mayor of Mâcon where part of the Jean Zay nursery school burned down. “Unfortunately, we are forced to close the school group. Because in the part that was calcined, there is asbestos. We have to find a solution, that’s obvious. But on the other hand, we already have to come to an agreement with the insurance and we are still in these discussions. I can’t do the work without their consent.“, laments the city councilor. The schoolchildren, whose level drops worryingly in kindergarten, will therefore have to start their school year elsewhere, in other school groups that can accommodate them. “It’s heartbreaking for adults and children alike.“.
In the Parisian suburbs, at La Verrière, two schools were completely destroyed and the pupils had to join the ranks of another establishment. “We were able to set up classrooms in the refectory. It’s about a 30-minute walk from the neighborhood, so we’re setting up shuttles to take the kids morning, noon and night.“, said Mayor Nicolas Dainville. An online kitty has been launched to complete the purchase of school materials.