Budget Freeze Halts Collective Pass Culture Activities in French Schools

French educators criticize the abrupt suspension of funds for a popular cultural program benefiting secondary school students.

The French government has frozen the budget for the collective portion of the Pass Culture program, capping it at €50 million for the current school year.
As of January 29, €40 million of the allocated funds had already been used, leaving only €10 million for the rest of the year.
The collective portion of the Pass Culture funds cultural activities like school trips and artist visits for students in secondary schools, while the individual portion, unaffected by the freeze, provides €300 for personal cultural expenses for youth aged 15-18.
Teachers and school administrators, who had spent months planning activities, expressed frustration at the sudden announcement, calling it a 'hold-up' and claiming they were blindsided.
The program, introduced in 2022, has been widely praised for expanding cultural access, though critics note it has not fully addressed cultural inequality as initially intended.