The president of the UFC-Que Choisir regretted on Tuesday that the increase in the back-to-school allowance this year does not compensate for the increase in the prices of supplies, accusing mass distribution of having noted its prices.
The allowance distributed from Tuesday, between 423 and 462 euros depending on the age of the child and paid automatically according to the parents’ income, was revalued by 1.7% this year, an increase “below the price statement” on supplies, which “took 2% between 2024 and 2025”, said Marie-Amandine Stévenin on RMC.
“It makes families lose power to perceive this help,” she said.
She also pointed out the date too late, according to her, of payment of the allowance, which comes ten days before the start of the school year, while “on the shelves, the price of school supplies tends to increase at the end of August and early September”, by around 10%.
The back -to -school allowance, which concerns some three million modest households, benefits five million children aged 6 to 18. This “essential aid” according to the Families de France association aims to cover part of the expenses related to the start of the school year.
The Criticism of the UFC-Que Choisir comes when Familles de France rather noted on Monday, in its annual barometer, a drop in the average cost of the basket of supplies for a student entering the sixth.
This amounts to 211.10 euros in 2025, against 223.46 euros in 2024, a drop of 5.53%, according to the association.
She explained this trend by “a more stable economic context: inflation contained around 1%, drop in energy and transport costs, relaxation on raw materials”. She also saw it “also an evolution of purchasing behaviors: anticipation, comparison, search for promotions and reduction in waste”.
Posted on August 19 at 11:22 am, AFP
