Wednesday evening, on LCI, an unprecedented debate was held between eight young representatives of the main parties involved in the presidential election. In the show
Elysée 2022 – Make way for young people!, a lively exchange between Clémence Guetté, engaged for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Ambroise Méjean, president of young people with Macron, took place about meals at Crous at 1 €. Denouncing Emmanuel Macron’s record vis-à-vis young people and the fact “that he has been in charge for five years and that he could have done things”, Clémence Guetté explained that the President of the Republic had to his credit the abolition of Crous meals at €1, set up during Covid-19.
Facing her, Christophe Beaugrand, the host, emphasizes that they “still exist today”. “This was removed at the start of the school year except for scholarship students”, explains the joint manager of the Common Future program. It was then that Ambroise Méjean corrected, adding: “And for those who request it”. Clémence Guetté nods and repeats: “yes, and it’s not true. Students cannot eat at the €1 Crous today. »
A little later in the show, Ambroise Méjean will specify: “Meals were open to everyone between January and June. They are now on proof of resources for non-scholarship holders since the start of the school year. »
FAKE OFF
In fact, not all students can eat a meal at the Crous for €1 today. The conditions of access to this social pricing were tightened in September 2021. Let’s go back to explain this development. On September 1, 2020, €1 meals were set up for scholarship students, “with the Izly online payment procedure which immediately recognized the status of scholarship holders at the cash desk”, specifies the National Center for University and School Works ( Cnous), which notably oversees its regional bodies, the Crous.
On January 21, 2021, as the rumble of young people vis-à-vis the deterioration of their living conditions is growing, Emmanuel Macron extends this social pricing to all students. From January 25, the measure is implemented with a meal at €1, while it previously cost €3.30 for students, “which is already a social rate”, specifies the Cnous.
“Many students have made requests and still have not heard from them”
But in the summer of 2021, Frédérique Vidal, the Minister of Higher Education and Research, announced a reversal: this offer will remain automatically possible for scholarship students, but non-scholarship students will have to apply for it. At the start of the academic year, they will have to prove to the Crous social service that they are having financial difficulties in meeting current expenses.
And this is where the shoe pinches for Imane Ouelhadj, vice-president of the Unef. To complete the application, a link must be sent by the universities, which has not always been the case. “This link is almost impossible to find on the platform if it has not been sent”, she underlines. The problem has grown over the past three months: “What is scandalous is that this request was valid until November, she continues. Afterwards, it was necessary to obtain an appointment with social workers to be able to benefit from meals at 1 €. Except that today, there are a whole bunch of Crous which do not have enough social workers. At Crous de Paris, there are two or three for all students. Many have made requests, whether for meals at €1 or for social assistance, and still have no news as it is almost February. »
Since the start of the school year, a sharp drop in meals distributed to non-scholarship students
La Fage also confirms this lack of social workers. “There are not enough and the students quickly lose hope of having their ticket at 1 €, adds Anne-Laure Syriax, in charge of social affairs at Fage. This is part of our demands: that the Crous be able to recruit more social workers. »
In total, in 2021, nearly 20 million meals at 1 € were served, including 12.7 million to scholarship students, “the difference having been intended for non-scholarship students” mainly during the first six months of 2021, indicates the Cnous, or nearly 7.3 million meals. But during the last four months of 2021, between September and December, 8 million meals at 1 € were served, including 7.8 million to scholarship holders and only 200,000 to precarious non-scholarship students. Since the start of the school year, it therefore appears that the number of meals served to non-scholarship students has fallen sharply.
“In our solidarity grocery stores, we see more and more students who come and who no longer know how to get help on a daily basis”, says Anne-Laure Syriax de la Fage. She explains that this increase is particularly noticeable for middle-class students, who do not have access to scholarships.