| FRANCE'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM |
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| Today, France's educational system shows some influence from the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft. Although Mary Wollstonecraft lived much of her life in England, the ideas she expresses in her writings seem to have had a larger impact on France. In fact, in some history text books, she is mentioned only in reference to the French Revolution. http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Education/DF_education.shtml 15 million pupils and students, i.e. a quarter of the population, are in the education system. Just over 2 million are in higher education. Since the 1970s, France has also had an outstanding record with respect to the development of pre-school education; all 3- to 5-year-olds can go to nursery classes. Children entering nursery school today can hope to continue their education for 19 years Military service has now been suspended in France and replaced by the JAPD. All young people, both male and female, have to register and attend this day when France's defense is explained to them. In France, higher education studies are organized in cycles, as at primary and secondary levels. The first theoretically lasts two years and leads to a DEUG, which is comparable to a Diploma in Higher Education in the UK (Associate's Degree in the U.S.). The second (also two years) leads first — after one year — to the equivalent of a bachelor's degree and then — after a further year — to the equivalent of a higher or master's degree. The third, open only to selected postgraduate students, leads to even higher qualifications and can pave the way to obtaining a PhD. In the French system, forms are numbered from 12 (first year of primary school) to 1, followed by terminale, with the collège beginning in form 6, approximately 11 years of age. Since 1967, school attendance has been compulsory for those from 6 to 16 years of age. France has 60,000 primary schools catering to pupils during their first five years of formal education: the first three years (CP - cours préparatoire - and CEl/CE2 - cours élementaire 1 and 2) provide a grounding in the basic skills. The next stage - CM1/CM2 (cours moyen 1 and 2) takes the children up to the end of primary school Secondary schooling is divided into two successive stages, known as cycles. From 11 to 15 years, almost all children now attend a collège, taking them from form 6 (sixième) to form 3 (troisième) (1). Since 1975 there has been a single mixed-ability collège for all pupils regardless of their level of achievement. After form 3, they move onto a general, technical or vocational lycée. These prepare pupils for the corresponding baccalauréat examinations (referred to as le bac), which they normally take at the age of 18. Decisions about pupils (repeating years, moving up to a higher class, changing course) are taken through a procedure involving a dialogue between the school (teachers, administrative and ancillary staff) and the families and pupils. Although the teachers give their opinions in what is known as a "class council" — consisting of representatives among pupils, teachers and parents — parents can appeal against a decision and demand (depending on the pupil's level) that the pupil move up rather than repeat the year, or repeat the year rather than do a course they do not wish their son or daughter to pursue. In every school, there are specialist counsellors to help pupils, parents and teachers resolve any problems they may encounter. Today, form 3 (which is the final year at collège) is the first point at which children have a choice regarding some of the subjects they wish to study, and the direction they would like their curriculum to take (although they must choose a foreign language in form 6, and another in form 4). The vast majority of pupils attend schools which are overseen by the Ministry of National Education. However, around 100,000 (suffering from various disabilities) go to special schools run under the aegis of the Ministry of Health, and 200,000 go to agricultural lycées (technical and vocational courses). Finally, 300,000 others, aged 16+ undergo apprenticeships (work contracts), which — since the 1987 reform — can prepare them for all types of vocational qualification. The bulk of private schools are Catholic, having contracts with the State (which inter alia pays their staff salaries). Families of the fewer than 50,000 pupils in private schools without such contracts pay high fees. Alongside the ordinary school education system, there are also specialist or adapted classes, which are often integrated into primary and secondary schools. Such programs include the CLIS — classes which act as bridges to bring children back into the mainstream system, and the SEGPA — adapted general and vocational education sections designed particularly for children and adolescents having difficulty at school due to psychological, emotional or behavioral problems, and for slow learners. Similar curricula are also found in special schools, particularly those under the aegis of the Health Ministry. The aim is to get these children (around 5% of the pupils in any one year group) to achieve a minimum skills level: the CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnel), which sanctions training in a specific vocational skill. The Government is responsible for the recruitment, training and salaries of teachers, most of whom are civil servants trained at university-level schools of education, the Instituts universitaires de formation des maîtres (IUFM). Established in 1991, these train future primary and secondary school teachers, including those of the latter who are aggrégés (2), who, when fully trained, will all have completed five years of post-baccalauréat study Since 1808, the baccalauréat has been the symbolic national diploma, both crowning the successful completion of secondary education and providing a passport for entry into higher education. From the beginning of the twentieth century, France has also been developing State vocational education by "scholarizing apprenticeships", i.e. establishing vocational qualifications which can be attained at school: the CAP and the BEP (brevet d'enseignement professionnel, which sanctions the completion of adequate training within a range of technical skills required in a particular trade, industrial, commercial, administrative or social field). However, for over ten years now, France has been engaged in a process of decentralization. In the education sphere, this has brought greater diversity and more flexible organization to what was once a too uniform — or even monolithic — educational system. Greater power is now given to regional and other local authorities placed under the authority of the National Education Minister. No longer are issues decided only in Paris or by ministerial private offices At the local level, this has also given those on the ground — and particularly school head teachers — greater freedom and room to maneuver. Collèges and lycées, but not primary schools, have become local public education establishments (EPLE - établissements publics locaux d'enseignement) which are legal entities enjoying financial autonomy. They have also gradually acquired greater educational autonomy in that each school draws up an "establishment project" setting out how it is implementing the national objectives and curricula; this enables them to match their courses more closely to the children in their school and so better address their specific needs. The 1989 Outline Act also included another major goal by laying down the principle that "before leaving the education system and regardless of their level of achievement, all young people must be offered vocational training". This became a reality with the Five-Year Act of December 1993 providing employment and vocational training. After ten years of compulsory education, the system must today ensure that everyone acquires not just academic, but also vocational skills, so that not even a small proportion of young people leave school ill-equipped to face adulthood and a working life. Class size has been reduced. This has been notably the case in nursery and primary schools, which have been enjoying regular reductions in class sizes: currently an average of 26 in nursery schools and 23 in primary schools compared with — respectively — 40 and 30 during the 1960s. National tests which assess the progress in French and mathematics of all children in CE2 (8 years) and the first year of collège (11 years) — introduced over ten years ago — are designed precisely to identify pupils struggling in school. To ensure not only genuine equality of access to collèges and lycées, but also an equal chance of achieving success at each level, requires giving more support to children experiencing learning difficulties, so as not to let them "fall by the wayside". A person's future position in society is in fact — to a fairly large extent — dependent on his/her academic achievements. Five years after the end of their studies, people with degrees are five times more likely to hold an executive or middle-ranking managerial position than those who started work immediately after the baccalauréat. The bulk of the people in top jobs in both the engineering field and the professions hold diplomas from a grande école (prestigious higher education institution with a competitive examination) or have successfully completed a third university cycle (7). |
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