One step forward, two steps back.
During an interview devoted to Brut on Tuesday, the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer returned to the controversy which earned him two days earlier being accused of lying.
The minister said Sunday on France 3 that "we know that there are sometimes larger purchases of flat screens in September than at other times", implying that the payment of the he back-to-school allowance contributes to this purchasing power, although it is not its role.
Read alsoEducation: why Blanquer is betting on a better start to the school year in 2021 than in 2020
Tuesday, the minister nuance ... And insists at the same time.
"It is obvious that these are things that happen, insists Jean-Michel Blanquer.
(…) We know very well that from the moment you provide funds in euros, you cannot be sure that 100% of people will spend them on children.
"
"Fortunately I do not guide my boat in the light of hashtags"
Back-to-school allowance and flat screens: Jean-Michel Blanquer reacts to the controversy.
pic.twitter.com/vh3SX8QH9H
- Brut FR (@brutofficiel) August 31, 2021
Concerning the purchase of televisions strictly speaking, "these are expenses which increase in September, these are things which I believe are demonstrated", answers the Minister to Brut.
However, in terms of data, and although these are indeed relatively dated, the situation is not so widespread, as we explain in this article and as other colleagues have done.
There you go ... pic.twitter.com/oUHfUbFzo7
- CheckNews (@CheckNewsfr) August 31, 2021
"It happens in a minority of cases"
"We should not refrain from debates in the name of political correctness," said Jean-Michel Blanquer, without deciding further on the merits of a payment in vouchers rather than in euros.
Because it is from this proposal that the controversy started.
Invited in the program "Dimanche en politique" on France 3 Sunday, Jean-Michel Blanquer reacted to the proposal of a parliamentarian to convert back-to-school allowances into vouchers. This Tuesday, the minister does not give his opinion on the matter. "I did not say
it must be converted into vouchers tomorrow
or
everyone is sure to spend it on flat screens
,
" he
insists.
However, the minister does not seem to close the door to a change in the nature of the allowance. “My starting point is always the rights of the child. It's always
Is what we do good for the kids?
(…) If at the end of the day parents spend the money that was given by public authorities for the child on something other than the child, that is not good, considers Jean-Michel Blanquer. And even though it does happen in a minority of cases - and it does happen in a minority of cases - it is not a good thing. "