France Approves Comprehensive Sexual Education Curriculum for Schools

The program, set to launch in 2025, balances progressive goals with parental involvement after extensive debate and revisions.

The French government has finalized a new program for education in affective, relational, and sexual matters (Evars), to be implemented from kindergarten to high school starting in the 2025 school year.
The program aims to teach children about consent, respect, and equality, while addressing issues such as sexual violence, homophobia, and transphobia, with age-appropriate content introduced progressively.
Teacher unions successfully pushed for revisions to the curriculum, restoring terms like 'homosexuality' and 'identity of gender' and ensuring earlier discussions on topics like intersex identities and gender diversity.
Parental involvement was a key point of contention; the final text informs parents of the program's objectives without allowing opt-outs that could disrupt the mandatory sessions.
The finalized program reflects a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education, unions, and other stakeholders, with teacher training planned for late 2025 to support its implementation.