While the UMP parliamentarians on Wednesday 2 October requested a postponement of the reform of school rhythms, set up by the Minister of Education Vincent Peillon, the National Academy of Pharmacy displays its supportn to “the disappearance of the 4-day week replaced by the four-and-a-half-day week and the extension of the so-called All Saints’ Day holidays”.
Sharing the analysis of chronobiologists and “a number of other institutions” concerning the existence of too long days, too short a school year and overloaded and inappropriate programs responsible for children’s fatigue, the Academy recommends additional measures to support government reform. The aim of these recommendations is to give the new school rhythm a global and coherent conception, “concerned with the interests of the health of the child”.
Concretely, the Academy of Pharmacy advocates the establishment of extracurricular sports and cultural activities, supervised by competent staff. Experts stress the importance of homework and lessons being done at school. They also advise that the extra half-day should preferably be on Saturday morning because of the desynchronization brought about by a long weekend and the very often inappropriate times of the sunsets and sunrises of the children during these two days.
In this regard, the chronobiologist François Testu told the JDD of October 2 that “the rhythm to be respected, it is in priority the sleep. Even the weekend, the young children must respect a regular sleep pattern. Or a bedtime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. for the little ones in kindergarten. “In order to ensure that these rhythms are evaluated and monitored by specialists, the Academy of Pharmacists is proposing the creation of an Observatory. It remains to be seen whether the government will retain these proposals.
