Is it yes or is it no? This Wednesday, the Secretary of State for Youth recovered the “generalization” project of the Universal National Service (SNU). In an interview granted rawPrisca Thévenot assured: “The challenge is to ensure that this SNU becomes a republican passage for an entire generation.”
Specifically, it means wanting to move toward “an obligation, which will be a generalization.” Quickly, the Secretary of State was noticed on social media. In fact, on August 4 he stated on France Info that he wanted to implement it “so that it is something voluntary and desired.”
“There would be nothing worse than forcing a young person to go to the SNU, I think it would even be counterproductive,” he argued.
Sea snake
It is not the first time that the implementation of the SNU resembles a real sea snake for the executive. Following Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 campaign promise of “a universal, mandatory and short-term national service”, the government does not seem to know what basis to dance on.
First experienced in 2019 by Gabriel Attal, current Minister of National Education and then in charge of its file, the generalization of the SNU was finally buried during the protest against the pension reform. “In that context, we told ourselves that adding an ingredient to an explosive cocktail was not a good idea,” a ministerial advisor told BFMTV.com.
Prisca Thévenot’s predecessor, Sarah El Haïry, announced in June that SNU would be integrated into the school schedule from March 2024, with a 12-day internship for volunteer second-year students. Mandatory, widespread UNS was not featured in the military programming law passed this summer, as anticipated.
Neither terms nor calendar
Without a specific date or conditions, there is currently no bill on the agenda. Furthermore, the possibility of a referendum on the issue was even raised by the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, in early September.
Questioned this Wednesday on France Info, Prisca Thévenot stated: “Is universal national service intended to become a republican ticket for all the young people of our nation? The answer is yes.”
“Sur this ambition-là qui est portée depuis 2017, il n’y a pas de nouveauté, soyons très clairs. Il ya simplement une réaffirmation d’une volonté et d’une ambition pour tout notre countries”, détaille-t- ella .
According to information from the political service BFMTV, Prisca Thévenot has not recently discussed the issue with Emmanuel Macron or Élisabeth Borne.
Reviews
The contradictions of the Secretary of State are pointed out on social networks. The first teachers’ union, the SNES-FSU, regrets in (formerly Twitter): “Young people need school, not SNU! The government is trying to push through its plan to align young people. What a sense of priorities!”
For several years, the cost of the SNU has been criticized, as has the image of young people it reflects. In June, the Human Rights League (LDH) denounced the “militarization of youth” in a press release.
L’an dernier, en 2022, 32,000 jeunes de 15 a 17 ans ont participapé à une version expérimentale du projet, comprenant un séjour de cohésion, une mission d’intérêt général et, pour certains, un engagement volontaire dans une structure associative ou de public service.
Source: BFM TV
