Reducing truancy rates in French high schools

A trial begins on Monday in France to try to cut the truancy rate among students at vocational high schools.

Playing hookey, skiving off, cutting class or whatever you want to call it, is apparently an increasing problem in France, with figures from a 2007-2008 study putting the rate among the country's roughly one thousand lycées professionnels, or vocational high schools, at 8.2 per cent.

In an effort to bring down the level, three schools in the Ile de France region surrounding the French capital will be taking part in a pilot scheme of rewarding attendance with money.

Each class at the three schools will be allocated an initial sum of €2,000 with the promise of being able to "earn" up to €10,000 by the end of the academic year depending on how well they have collectively managed to keep to the agreement of increasing attendance rates.

What happens to the money amassed at the end of the year will be determined collectively by the students and teaching staff at the school from the beginning of the project.

The scheme has come in for some criticism especially from those who feel it inappropriate that students be paid to attend class, but speaking on national radio, Martin Hirsch, the junior minister for active solidarities against poverty and for young people, stressed the collective rather than individual nature of how the pool of money could be earned.

"We're trying something new," he said.

"There are schools where the truancy rate is anything from five to 80 percent and this sort of financial scheme already works in other countries," he added.

"The project to be financed at the end of the year must be an educative one," he continued.

"It could be a school trip, the creation of an association, or the purchase of computer equipment or sports material for the class as a whole."

But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the idea as the minister.

Jean-Paul Huchon, the president of the regional council for Ile de France region and a member of the Socialist party, thinks that it could in fact have the opposite effect to the one intended.

Instead of giving students collective responsibility in an effort to try to reduce truancy rates, Huchon thinks the scheme might potentially lead to an increase in violence in the institutions.

"Far from giving students a sense of responsibility, the setting up of a scheme of a 'collective kitty' could in fact foster a feeling of injustice among classes and different courses of study within the same school," he said.

"And that (feeling of injustice) could also lead to a growth in violence within the school."

If the pilot scheme proves successful, it is expected to be extended to another 70 classes (around 2,000 students) at institutions throughout France in the year 2010-2011, at a budget of €560,000.

Facing racism in the business world

Toufik Bellahcene is looking for a job. In fact he has been looking for one for over a year now.

And last month he took the step of trying his luck on eBay* and bringing his plight to the attention of the national press.

But he didn't auction himself as another young graduate, 23-year-old Yannick Miel,** had done in February.

Instead Bellahcene chose to try to sell his "ethnic origins" to the highest bidder.

"It was," he says. "An attempt to draw attention to racial discrimination in the job market as I think we don't talk enough about the subject."

Just in case you hadn't realised, 27-year-old Bellahcene is of North African origin - Algerian to be precise - one of three children brought up in the inner city of Strasbourg in Eastern France to a working class family.

All three children did well at school and graduated from university, but while his brother and sister both became teachers, Bellahcene decided to enter the business world, one which he says poses many more problems in terms of racial discrimination for those from ethnic backgrounds.

And based on his experience, he might have something of a point.

Since graduating from one of the top 10 business schools in the country, Bellahcene has applied for almost 800 jobs. He has been called for an interview just five times.

"According to statistics published by my university, 95.8 per cent of its graduates find jobs within four months," he says.

"The average length it takes is two weeks."

As well as placing an advertisment on eBay, Bellahcene sent an email to the left-of-centre national daily, Libération, giving a little more background to his unusual step.

"According to Adia (a French employment agency) my chances of finding a job are three times lower than a Frenchman with generations of roots in the country," he wrote.

"And my chances are even further diminished (seven times lower) because I'm after a position which matches my (graduate) qualifications here in Eastern France," he added.

"The conclusion I draw from that is that I have to say to children from the area in which I live and with a similar background, that there's no point in trying to do well at school and getting qualifications because they will more than likely be subjected to discrimination."

To illustrate the sort of difficulties that Bellahcene has faced, Friday morning's edition of La Matinale on Canal + television offered up the story of how, when he rang one company and gave his name, he was informed that there was no job available and the person the other end then hung up.

Of course when he rang back 15 minutes later and gave a "typically" French name "Nicolas" he was told there was no problem and advised to submit a formal application.

Anecdotal perhaps, but given his qualifications, lack of success in finding a job and ethnic origins, not unimaginable even in a supposedly multi-cultural modern democracy such as France.

But there again, perhaps it's not really racial discrimination after all.

There are bound to be some out there who would argue the contrary.

* The advertisement on eBay has now been withdrawn.

**The plight of Yannick Miel reached the ears of Martin Hirsch, the junior minister for youth and active solidarities against poverty, who offered him a position. Miel accepted.

Bellahcene is still looking for a job.