Relief for French parents as public television to broadcast school lessons

Exasperated French parents juggling the coronavirus lockdown with children at home will have some relief starting Monday, as state-run France Télévisions begins broadcasing school lessons.

Schools in France have been closed until further notice in order to curb the spread of the Coronavirus and parents have been tasked to help their children keep up with their studies at home.

Public television station France 4 will be showing lessons from primary to secondary school, designed by teachers from the ministry of education.

Dubbed Opération "Nation apprenante" (learning nation in English), France Télévisions, along with Radio France and French-German TV channel Arte will broadcast programmes that have a special link to what students are currently working on from home.

The broadcasts, which will address all levels, have been characterised as "fun", and will also be available online.

Mornings will be devoted to primary school students: from 9 am, first year primary students will have a 30-minute broadcast of reading, then a 30-minute maths broadcast. From 11:00 - 12:00, second-year primary students will have access to Lumni House, one of the participating educational companies offering programming.

A one-hour programme at noon, "C'est toujours pas sorcier" (It's still not difficult), a special add-on programme aimed at middle school students will be broadcast, while middle and high school students' programming will make up the afternoon.

In an effort to cover as many subjects as possible, Tuesday evening programming and weekends will be devoted to historical documentaries.