What is school for?

School is for educating students, to pass on knowledge to them.

In school, we learn how to read, write, count, understand world history… and geography.

So going to school is just about learning stuff?

No, that’s not all. School is a place where you can meet other people, where you learn how to live and get along together.

You exchange views with people who are not family members; friends and also grown-ups.

In school, you learn to respect others, whatever the color of their skin or their religion. That’s secularism.

What’s more, you learn how to debate, how to make your own opinion to become a responsible grown-up.

You make friends at school, and school gives you encouragement, confidence in yourself and independence.

It’s an opportunity, because 63 million children in the world don’t go to school and often have to work!

In France, since the law voted in 1882 by Jules Ferry, education is compulsory, free and secular, that is, independent of religions.

Because in those days, school education was closely linked to religious education.

Today, in France, education is compulsory from age 3 to 16.

That gives students enough time to become citizens of tomorrow thanks to all they have learned!