What does délégué de classe do?
MY daughter has been voted a délégué de classe at collège. What is this? A.W.
A délégué de classe is a pupil in collège or lycée who represents classmates to the adults in charge of their schooling.
This includes, for example, bringing up concerns about the pace of work or homework, and attending meetings of the conseils de classe.
These, chaired by the headteacher, meet at least three times a year and are made up of class teachers and various other school officials, the two délégués de classe (usually a boy and a girl) as well as two parents’ representatives. They discuss progress of the pupils in the class, their marks, study choices and whether or not they should repeat a year.
Before the meetings the délégués canvass their peers’ concerns eg. by handing out a questionnaire, and they make a presentation about these. They also take notes and report back to the class.
Délégués are elected in a two-round procedure reminiscent of the presidential elections. Pupils can run “campaigns”, including doing a presentation to the class. Elections are in the first six weeks of the school year.
Délégués have their own meetings, the Assemblée générale des délégués, and may be appointed to sit on the conseil d’administration, the committee that takes major decisions in the school life.
