As life becomes more and more expensive, young people especially toast. The National Union of Students of France (UNEF) has long documented how student precariousness is worsening from year to year, in the semi-fake indifference of the government. The student organization just released its 18th study on the cost of living for students on August 15, 2022, which is still rising.
Cost of living for students increases by 6.47% (more than inflation)
In fact, student life increased by 6.47% (while global inflation was 6.1%) from the previous year. In fact, according to the calculations of the UNEF, all the items of expenditure of the students have increased (except for transport), which costs them 428 € more per year (about 35.6 € per month), reports franceinfo.
Faced with this alarming finding, the president of UNEF, Imane Ouelhadj, proposed to the same media a measure that could profoundly help young people:
” We want the creation of a universal autonomy allowance, calculated on the poverty line, and intended for young people in formation who needs it, on simple request. “
The pandemic, a magnifying glass of student precariousness
In fact, UNEF has been asking for such a measure for several years. But the pandemic has perhaps thrown an even more dramatic light on the precariousness of students. Because images of young people queuing for hours for food aid they were able to mark the minds of the general public. All this, while the collaborators of the former Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal, paid for mysterious trips to the French Riviera with public money, as revealed Mediaparty to April 2021.
The day after the publication of the new Unef study on the cost of living of students, Sylvie Retailleau, the new Minister of Higher Education and Research of the second five years of President Emmanuel Macron, he wanted to remember They ” emergency measures applicable from the beginning of the 2022 school year Taken by the government in July.
These include the 4% revaluation of scholarships on the basis of social criteria, as well as an exceptional solidarity aid of 100 euros for scholarship holders or beneficiaries of APL. Meals at € 1 for temporary students are extended for the whole year 2022-2023. There is also a freeze on university tuition fees and rentals for CROUS residences.
Government measures against student insecurity deemed insufficient
But the calculations are not going well according to the president of the UNEF, Imane Ouelhadj, who on August 16, 2022 replied to the minister Sylvie Retailleau:
“We can discuss the effectiveness of your measures… A 4% reassessment of scholarships which corresponds to € 4 per month for level 0bis? 108 € a month to live? € 100 bonus received with registration fees of € 170 and a CVEC [Contribution à la vie étudiante et de campus, ndlr] € 95. “
Pending the meager relief that these insufficient government measures would allow, the queues of students trying to obtain food aid have not weakened with the deconfinements. On the contrary, according to Imane Ouelhadj, president of UNEF. For this he declares to do so franceinfo How urgently do we need to stop normalizing students’ social, economic and mental distress:
” We have to stop infantilizing young people and with this society that it considers normal for a student to fight to make ends meet and that it forges his personality. We are in 2022 and we find ourselves with students having to queue up in food distributions to feed themselves. Others are in alarming mental health.
[…] There are still as many students lining up for food distributions, social workers or Crous to benefit from food stamps or specific aids. It seems to get worse every year. “
Front page photo credit: YouTube screenshot “UNEF Student Cost of Living Survey 2022: itw by Imane Ouelhadj, President of UNEF”
Source: Madmoizelle
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
