Too few hours of mandatory classes, too weak a level of instruction, a complete lack of exams and control have led to an absurd integration system, the French senator believes.
The French senator studied the so-called 'Republican Integration Contract' (CIR), intended for newly arrived migrants in the country. Under the CIR, 26,000 people studied French last year. This program replaced the previous course called the 'Reception and Integration Contract' in 2016. It was introduced in 2006 by then-French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to Roger Karoutchi, one of the main problems for the integration of refugees is the insufficient number of mandatory hours of French. 'I already made a similar report four years ago and I see that there is no progress,' the parliamentarian said in an interview with RFI.
'To obtain a document on integration into French society, necessary for obtaining a residence permit, one must take a French language course and a citizenship course. Before the adoption of the law in 2016, the French language course program included up to 400 hours of classes. The 2016 law, intended to diversify and expand the migrant integration program, in reality reduced the language courses to 200 hours,' Karoutchi explained. 'What does this look like? You come to class, sit down, say nothing and participate in nothing, but you sit through your 200 mandatory hours. It is considered that if at the very beginning you can say "Bonjour," and at the end of the course you already say "Bonjour Monsieur," that is enough.'
Another serious problem is the absence of any tests and exams. There is no real control over the level of French knowledge. According to Karoutchi, in most European countries, unlike France, mandatory hours of language study range from 400 to 600. In addition, in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, after completing the courses, 'there are mandatory tests and exams on language knowledge.'
'In France, by the way, the required level of language knowledge is extremely low,' Karoutchi complains, 'it is A1. In Germany and other countries, it is often B1. A1 means you babble a few words in French and understand a little, but you are not able to read. But even this we do not require and do not check whether migrants have this A1 level.'
President Emmanuel Macron partially acknowledged the deplorable situation, calling the integration of arriving migrants his priority. According to the head of state, French integration policy 'lacks ambition and resources.'
The lack of resources is, of course, also emphasized by Roger Karoutchi: 'In 2016, France allocated approximately 30 million euros for organizing French language courses. That is too much for a zero result. And too little for real results. If we want to move to 400-500 mandatory hours, as is done in other European countries, we need, of course, to invest more resources.'
The senator's report also notes that the 'civic' part of the integration course is inadequate. These courses, intended as lessons where migrants would be introduced to the duties of the country's citizens, in reality, according to the parliamentarian, consist of '30 slides that summarize 2000 years of our history for people who do not understand French.'
To turn the situation around, Roger Karoutchi proposes introducing a minimum test of French language knowledge required for obtaining a residence permit. He insists on increasing the number of mandatory class hours to 600 – as in Germany. And he proposes changing the course on civic duties. The question remains of the cost of such a program for the French budget. In 2017, the authorities will spend 47 million euros on CIR integration. And this is still not enough.