Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed the launch of a citizens’ convention focused on rethinking school schedules and vacation lengths in France.
• The convention will begin in June 2025, with a panel of randomly selected citizens tasked with hearing expert testimony and issuing recommendations.
• Key topics include school start and end times, subject scheduling, and the number of vacation weeks, with an emphasis on aligning policies with children’s developmental needs.
• Macron highlighted France’s lengthy school vacations, which exceed the OECD average, as a factor in learning loss for students with limited family support.
• This marks the third citizens’ convention under Macron’s presidency, following prior initiatives on climate and end-of-life issues.