COVID-19 : No changes to Monaco’s arrangements for end of school year

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The French authorities have announced that from 22 June, returning to school will be mandatory and primary and lower secondary schools (collèges) in France must be able to welcome all pupils back under normal conditions. 

The Principality of Monaco, which put in place arrangements for getting pupils back to school that were different from those in France, does not intend to make changes to these arrangements. This decision is based on the following considerations: 

• In the Principality, the school year is set to end on the afternoon of Friday 26 June, while in France, it will end on the afternoon of 4 July. There is therefore little educational value in a mandatory return to school, since they would only be open for one week.
• Social distancing rules in Monaco require space of 1.5 m between people, compared with 1 m in France; maintaining this distance would make it impossible to have an entire class (22 to 25 pupils) in one classroom.
• Finally, the fact that class council meetings have begun significantly diminishes the value of such a return and may be difficult to understand, first for pupils themselves, whose grades will have already been agreed, and then for teaching staff, who are already spending some of their time on class councils, limiting their availability in the classroom.

The Prince’s Government has therefore decided that it will not be mandatory for pupils to return to Monegasque schools from Monday 22 June.

However, a school holiday children’s activity programme will be organised on as expanded a basis as possible, in line with the relevant health regulations and protocols established by the French authorities, notably with regard to the Prince Albert II Leisure Centre.