France:
Student Salaries

French college students have begun a drive to gain adoption of a national system of salaries for all persons pursuing regular university studies.

The drive is expected to culminate in a debate this month when a Socialist-supported bill will be brought before the National Assembly.

The National Union of Students, Fiance's largest student organisation, is calling for a monthly salary of 450 francs (about £35) to be paid to every student taking courses towards a degree.

The National Union thinks students should be paid to continue their education because their studies constitute "an apprenticeship of the country's economic and social life."

The cost of the proposed system is estimated at £NZ124,000,000 a year, but the students contend that half this sum could be made up by eliminating scholarships, tax exemptions and family allowances for parents of college students, and subsidies for student restaurants and dormitories.

Official reaction to the proposal has been cool.