Will the Universal National Service (SNU) be generalized on school time? The hypothesis was revived this week but the government, anxious not to rob the youth in the flammable context of pensions, says that "nothing is recorded".

Launched in 2019 with the objective of making it mandatory for an entire age group (about 800,000 young people per year), the device aims to "involve French youth in the life of the Nation". 15,000 young people participated in 2021 and 32,000 in 2022 (against 50,000 expected).



Divided into two phases, it offers teenagers aged 15 to 17 the opportunity to participate in a free "cohesion stay", including sports, cultural and intellectual activities. The days begin with the "raising of the colors" and include the wearing of the uniform. They must then take part in a mission of general interest for 84 hours in connection with an army service, an association or an administration.


Mandatory in second from January 2024?

An article in the left-wing weekly Politis this week revived speculation about the scheme. The newspaper cites a document from the National Education evoking a "progressively compulsory" SNU, after an experiment "at the start of the 2023-2024 school year in six departments".

The Snes-FSU, the main teaching union of colleges and high schools, said that the Cher, Hautes-Alpes, Vosges, Finistère, Dordogne and Var "would be the (unfortunate) elected" for an SNU "mandatory for second year students from January 2024". Before an extension to "20 departments" in 2025 and a "total generalization in 2026".

The entourage of Sarah El Haïry, Secretary of State for Youth and the SNU, indicates that she is working on two hypotheses: "that of a possible generalization on school time", which has his preference, and "that of an SNU that would not be generalized on school time and would remain voluntary, but would include incentive devices such as obtaining a driver's license or Bafa".


(5/8) The #SNU is to strengthen the moral strength of our country.

It means preparing young people for the various risks (climate, everyday life...), by giving them the right reflexes (workshop on road safety, sexist and sexual violence, life-saving gestures...).

— Sarah EL HAÏRY (@sarahelhairy) March 2, 2023

Access to this content has been blocked in order to respect your choice of consent

By clicking on "I ACCEPT", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners

I AGREE

And to better pay 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our button "I accept for today" in the banner below.

More information on the Cookie Policy page.



"Young people don't want it!"

Above all, the Secretary of State "awaits the arbitration of the President", whose schedule is "quite busy". This could intervene "this school year", between March and June, but "nothing is recorded at this stage". In the midst of mobilization against the pension reform, some consider it inappropriate to revive this subject. "Young people don't want it!" says La Fage, the first student union.

"It's better to have a peaceful debate and find the right moment," said Thomas Gassilloud (Renaissance), president of the National Assembly's Defence Committee. "The debate may be later in 2023." Among the most critical voices, LFI MP Bastien Lachaud believes that the government wants to "bring to heel" the youth.

A generalization also continues to raise a number of questions. "How can we ensure all the logistics necessary to welcome more than 800,000 young people per year? The France lacks suitable structures to make them eat, sleep, move, etc. It also lacks the essential adults to supervise them, "wonders the union Unsa Education.

For historian Bénédicte Chéron, a specialist in military-society relations, there is also "a real substantive issue on the question of the obligation of a civic stay". "This does not exist in any democracy," she said.

  • Government