Élisabeth Borne wants to shorten the summer holidays for 2026, estimating “losses in level for the most vulnerable students”

Une nouvelle idée qui serait appliquée dès 2026. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

Dans une interview accordée au Parisien ce mercredi, Élisabeth Borne envisage de réduire les vacances estivales. Une idée déjà évoquée à de multiples reprises par le passé.

Certains ne devraient pas êtres très contents. Dans un entretien accordé à nos confrères du Parisien This Wednesday, January 15, the Minister of Education, Élisabeth Borne, relaunched the idea of ​​shortening the summer holidays for schoolchildren, starting in September 2026.

“Long breaks result in a loss of level for the most vulnerable students. The 2025 summer holidays will not change, but for 2026, it will depend on the outcome of the discussions”, she declared. “Long breaks result in a loss of level for the most vulnerable students”, she adds.

The idea of ​​reducing the length of summer vacations is indeed not new. In June 2023, Édouard Philippe, who was at the time Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron, had also announced this reduction in vacations, before the head of state announced two months later the advancement of the school year to August 20, mainly for students in difficulty.

Skeptical unions

“In Northern Europe, with shorter days, the effects (of such a measure, editor's note) are positive”, the teachers' union SE-Unsa told our colleagues, as relayed by Le Figaro student.

“The tourism economy will slow down”, judges Sophie Vénétitay, from the Snes-FSU union.