French MPs Want to Strengthen National Defense Education in Schools

This bill by Christophe Blanchet aims to strengthen the teaching of national defense issues among middle and high school students, with the possibility of involving reservists.

French deputies want to strengthen the bonds between young people and the military. A bill “aiming to strengthen the teaching of national defense as part of the citizenship curriculum”, starting from 6th grade, is being examined on Thursday, March 26 in the National Assembly, during the “niche” of the Democratic group, led by Christophe Blanchet, Deputy of Calvados (MoDem), reported France Inter on Thursday. The idea is to teach defense in school.

The text starts from an observation: the teaching of national defense issues is almost non-existent. Yet, it has been included in the education code for over 25 years. This bill aims to strengthen it, to “restore the spirit of defense” among middle and high school students, with the possibility of involving reservists. In committee, this bill had been adopted, voted by the right-wing and the National Rally. “Attention, this is not an additional course, we will provide entry keys through the reference document that will be issued by the Ministry of National Education so that, in each subject, teachers can find ways to incorporate it into their classes, simply”, explains Christophe Blanchet, Vice-President of the National Assembly and rapporteur of the text.

According to him, it is about addressing concepts such as misinformation, cyber threats, agricultural or energy sovereignty. “All of this is national defense, it is not just about carrying a weapon or wearing a uniform. We arm ourselves morally. The future of our nation is at stake today, and that is essential. And to feel concerned”, adds Christophe Blanchet.

The link between youth, the military, and the nation is already part of the themes promoted by the Minister of National Education, Édouard Geffray. A guide in this direction was published this winter. Not to mention the rise of “defense” classes sponsored by military units (a partnership between the Ministry of Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Education since 2015).

This change is viewed with suspicion by the largest union in secondary education, the Snes. “We denounce a form of militarization of the school which, gradually and quite insidiously, instills in the minds of students that the main answer to the world’s disorders would pass through defense issues, whereas we are very committed to developing an education for peace”, declares Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of Snes-FSU.