Question 5555 — higher education

Summary

Ms. Marie Mesmeur alerts the Minister of State, Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research on the concrete measures to be implemented to improve the mental health of young people. According to Public Health France, one in ten high school students report having attempted suicide and four in ten students present depressive symptoms. These figures are not simple statistics, but the reflection of a deep distress. The suffering of young people is fueled by an anxiety-provoking education system, growing precariousness and a lack of prospects. A survey carried out by MP Louis Boyard among tens of thousands of high school students shows that four out of five young people feel anxious about Parcoursup, whose logic of permanent selection generates unbearable pressure. Precariousness is also an aggravating factor, while the maximum grant remains below the poverty line and many students struggle to find housing and food. Added to this reality is an overload of work which exhausts high school students and forces half of the students to get paid to finance their studies. Faced with this crisis, the provision of mental health care is largely insufficient. A recent report from the Nightline association (November 2020) highlights in particular the lack of university psychologists in France: in France, there is one psychologist for 30,000 students, while in the United States of America, this ratio is one for 1,500. The MP therefore questions the Minister on the concrete measures taken by the Government to reduce this gap and guarantee access to psychological care in accordance with international recommendations. She also asks him if recruitment of psychologists has been committed to schools and universities and whether additional resources will be allocated to these structures. While mental health has been proclaimed a “great national cause”, the MP also questions the Minister on the actions put in place to fight against student precariousness. She asks him if the Government is planning an increase in scholarships and a strengthening of housing assistance for allow students to study in dignified conditions. She is also concerned about the impact of Parcoursup on the well-being of young people and asks if an overhaul of the guidance system is being considered in order to limit the stress it generates.

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