A notable advance but still some uncertainties.
Here is roughly the feeling of the student community this Friday the day after Emmanuel Macron's announcement of the extension of the meal ticket to one euro to 2.5 million French and international students.
As of Monday, January 25, this take-away offer, reserved since September for 750,000 scholarship students, will be generalized in all university restaurants and cafeterias.
And will be valid twice a day.
Faced with worrying precariousness and psychological distress - the two often being linked - hundreds of thousands of students are delighted by this measure.
The meal "at social rate" cost until then 3.30 euros.
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Morgane Gode-Henric, president of the National Association of Medical Students of France (ANEMF), applauds this extended access to one euro tickets, which is added, among other things, to the granting of "psys checks" and back to college one day a week.
It remains to know the precise modalities of the device.
"Many are far from the catering areas"
What about access to sites offering these baskets?
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 800 establishments with the Crous stamp were open in France (see map below).
But since the start of the school year, faced with the systematization of distance learning courses, there are many fewer.
According to the data on the Crous Paris site, we went from 61 sites including 14 university restaurants to 21 including 7 RU.
And of the seven, six only open between 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday right now.
According to our research, we find more or less the same trend in Aix-Marseille, in Hauts-de-France, in Alsace and even in Occitanie.
Today, "400 structures" are open, tells us the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Without being able to distinguish the share of RU - where balanced hot meals are offered - and cafeterias - where sandwiches, salads and other cold products are instead sold.
This capacity "will increase to adapt to student demand due to the increase in face-to-face teaching", we promise.
And "the majority of outlets will be open all afternoon until curfew time."
“It would take reopening and extension of schedules for this to work,” confirms Morgane Gode-Henric.
It is already difficult for those in good health, for example, to go to university restaurants.
They are far from where they work and therefore pay their meals directly at the hospital, even if it costs much more ”.
"This solution is not viable because many are far from the areas of restoration", abounds Paul Mayaux, president of Fage, the first student union, which thought rather of a "direct help on the bank accounts".
No particular step to be taken, assures the ministry
According to a study conducted by Cnous in 2019, just under a third of students said they frequent the university canteen every day.
When you take your lessons from your accommodation, going to a Crous could therefore take even longer.
According to the same report, 39% of students already had less than 45 minutes, including travel time, for lunch, and 6% even had less than 30 minutes.
Paul Mayaux is also calling for the opening of dedicated rooms in universities or in Crous in compliance with health rules.
"Because what is happening today is that many eat outside in the rain, in their cars or standing in the corridors."
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Luna Pelchat, Student vice-president at the Crous de Paris, also shares this concern.
Joined Friday morning, she also ticked on another point: those who wish to benefit from this device will have to make "the request", had specified Thursday Emmanuel Macron.
"However, we know full well that students do not have recourse to aid when there is paperwork," she warned.
This is particularly the case for international students, often living in very precarious conditions and already inundated with administrative documents ”.
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The ministry confirms that it is mandatory to present an Izly account (the Crous payment service) to have access to it.
"A matter of seconds", according to the cabinet.
He indicates that most of the students registered at the start of the year.
And that an activation link will be sent back to others by next Wednesday.
However, everyone can pay for their meal as they wish, in cash, by credit card or via this Izly card.
