Communist Presidential Candidate In France Promises To Abolish Homework

A man running for president in France under the French Communist Party told voters he would cancel homework nationwide if elected.

Fabien Roussel, who previously served as National Secretary of the French Communist Party, said on Friday to a crowd that he is “not alone in thinking that it would be a good thing” for schools to not give students homework. Roussel is running for the 2022 presidential election and is currently polling with only about 4% support, according to Politico.

“If I become President of the Republic, all homework will be done at school and not at home,” he tweeted. “On the eve of school holidays, I believe that I am not alone in thinking that it would be a good thing.”

Si je deviens Président de la République, tous les devoirs seront faits à l’école et pas à la maison.

À la veille de vacances scolaires, je crois que je ne suis pas seul à penser que ce serait une bonne chose 😉 pic.twitter.com/9CX2EJ8JPg

— Fabien Roussel (@Fabien_Roussel) February 18, 2022

“You will be free,” the candidate said in the video, to which voters clapped. “You’ll be able to play sports; you’ll be able to go to the theater; you can go see your friends; you can see your parents.”

France’s election will take place on April 10, as candidates face off against incumbent President Emmanuel Macron. Roussel, 52, claimed on France public radio last month the policy of abolishing homework is an issue related to “social equality,” since “some [students] are in large families or do not have parents who can help them.”

“It’s a project that I want to build with the educational teams, with the teachers,” he also said on the radio station. “We need to train 90,000 teachers, on a mandate, to be able to meet this need.”

While Roussel seems to have little chance at capturing the French presidency, given his polling numbers, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has previously agreed with the candidate’s “social equality” homework cancelling sentiment. Blanquer said in a 2017 speech that the policy is aimed at “reducing inequalities.”

“That means that there is homework, but it’s not meant to be done at home but rather in the establishment, so as to create a form of family tranquility on these subjects, to reduce the inequalities that may exist between families and to have happy family time,” Blanquer said.

Further, former French President François Hollande, who served from 2012 to 2017, argued in favor of getting rid of homework. The proposal ultimately failed.

“Education is priority,” the former president said at Sorbonne University in Paris in 2012. “An education program is, by definition, a societal program. Work should be done at school, rather than at home.” The French embassy claimed at the time that Hollande’s move would “establish equal opportunities.”

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