EDUCATION SYSTEM IN FRANCE
A fact sheet
Submitted to
Professor Mana Prasad Wagley
Course Instructor: EDUC 613 Research Seminar
By
Parbat Dhungana,
PhD Student in Development Studies
in partial fulfillment for the course paper EDUC 613 Research Seminar for the PhD in
Development Studies
Balkumari, Lalitpur
Monday, February 08, 2016
Education system in France
1
Contents
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Education System in France ....................................................................................................... 2
Educational Structure ............................................................................................................ 3
School Education Focus and Minimum Core Standard .......................................................... 4
Governance ............................................................................................................................ 5
Education Expenditure........................................................................................................... 5
School Curriculum and Textbooks ......................................................................................... 6
Compulsory and Free Education Scheme .............................................................................. 7
Teacher Management ............................................................................................................ 8
Specific Program for Differently Able .................................................................................... 8
Student Support System ........................................................................................................ 9
Student Evaluation System .................................................................................................. 10
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 11
Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 12
Education system in France
2
Abstract
This practice of coursework has enabled me to understand the school
education on action in France and others. The centralized state
controlled education system of France has efficiently served the
learners need and ensured the rights to education. The support
systems to the challenged learners are tailored to meet their
challenges and needs. The school education at its later period offer
option to three different routes to proceed further and make a choice
of the world of work to the learners. Though the education expenditure
has not changed much during the last five years, the comparisons over
years express that the recession has been challengingFrance to
regular the educational expenditure.
Keywords: Education, School, France, Curriculum, Teacher, Support.
Education System in France
Education is understood in different sense but here education refers to mainstream
education and schooling. Despite education at different levels serve for different
interest of individual and the society, the foundations of behaviors for all are led at
early schooling. It basically comprises learners, curriculum, and teacher as the core
components in the processes; and in addition there are different other concerns which
define the performance of schooling.All these processes prepares pupil to further in
life, this is why it is important to think critically while designing school's architect in
the State. This coursework brings the educational practice of France; the largest
country in Western Europe, also known for point of major transformation in the
society during late 18th century.
The French constitution guarantees a basic education with a provision of
compulsory attendance for students aged 6 to 16(1789, as cited in Ministere
Education Nationale, 2009 & 2012). Public education is highly centralized.Thirteen
Education system in France
3
such essential concern and characteristics of French education system have been
discussed under ten different heads.
Educational Structure
Though it is optional, over 90% (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012) of the children
attend nursery school before (six) compulsory schooling begins. The three levels of
nursery aim to allow pupils to develop their full potential and to have a successful
first experience of school. The emphasis is on the acquisition of language and its
development, the discovery of the world of writing and that of numbers as well as
learning to ‘live together’ (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012).
The elementary school has two cycle (as marked in figure 1- below) and five
levels. The main priority of elementary education during the basic skills cycle (up to
seven years old) is learning the French language and mathematics. There are other
subjects in addition to core subjects and further more disciplines gets added in second
cycle(eight to eleven) of elementary education. There are additional 'tailored' (ibid.
2012) supports for students who face difficulties to maintain the standards.
Figure: 1.The Structure of School Education in France.
Source:Eurydice, January 2013
The secondary education in France also known as 'lycee' (Globerover,
2010)begins at the age of eleven and is divided into two cycles, lower and upper
secondary. Lower secondary schools take all pupils from elementary school,
Education system in France
4
preparing them for Upper secondary school. Theupper secondary has option for
general, technological or vocational schooling; pupils can take one of these three
routes and complete it by three years.
School Education Focus and Minimum Core Standard
The state has a provisofor free, compulsory, secular education at all levels.The French
Ministere Education Nationale (2009, 2012) has been declarative to state the
educational principle under five heads right from 19th century: Freedom of ChoiceState schools and private schools that have a contract with the state coexist within the
state system; Free Provision; Neutrality - State schooling is neutral; Secularism; and
CompulsorySchooling.
The French education system defines the common core of knowledge and
skill for the school education referencing the recommendation of the European
Parliamentand the European Council. It focuses on key competences for education
and lifelong learning. It marks, "Nursery, elementary and lower secondary education
must allow pupils to acquire the Common Core of Knowledge and Skills" (Ministere
Education Nationale, 2012).The Common Core of Knowledge and Skills are stated
around seven key competences:1. command of the French language; 2. proficiency in
a modern foreign language; 3. the key elements of mathematics, scientific cultureand
technology; 4. mastery of ordinary information and communication skills; 5. humanist
culture; 6. social and civic skills; 7. autonomy and initiative.(Ministere Education
Nationale, 2012). There is a three stage standard assessment system to confirm the
desired competencies are developed during the schooling.
Education system in France
5
Governance
The education system in France is much centralized. Despite there exists 17%
(Ministere Education Nationale, 2012) private schools mostly established on religious
basis (Globerover, 2010) and all follow government curriculum and guidelines. In
turn as principle they get subsidized by the government. MinistereEducation
Nationale (2012) reports the start of devolution of powers to strengthen the role of
local authorities in the management after 1980s. The 'recteur' is the ministry
representative at local level, within 'academies' (which are 30 in number in 26
regions) in France. These are responsible for the local administration of education
through 101 departments and 36,851 municipalities (ibid. 2012). The table below
gives a glimpse of roles in devolution and state control.
Table: 1. Roles of different levels in summary
Competencies
1. Investment
(construction,
reconstruction,
infrastructure, running
costs)
2. Pedagogical costs
Nursery and
Primary
Municipality
Lower
Secondary
Department
Upper
Secondary
Region
Municipality
Counsel
General
State
Counsel
Regional
State
State
3. Teaching staff (
recruitment, training,
allocation, pay)
State
State
State
4. Curriculum
No Awards
State
Sate
5. Awarding Diploma
Source:Information compiled from Ministere Education Nationale, 2012
Education Expenditure
The domestic education (including schooling) spending € 95, 5 billion is 7% of the
GDP of € 134, 8 billion as to Ministere Education Nationale (2012). Average
expenditure by pupil /apprentice at elementary and secondary level is €8,150 which is
less to 2008 figure (€ 8559, cited in Education Expenditure by Country,Anonymous,
Education system in France
6
2012). As usual to all OECD countries the education expenditure are from public
revenue sources and private revenue sources. A study reports country’s wealth
(defined as GDP per capita) is positively associated with expenditures per student on
education at the combined elementary / secondary level and at the postsecondary
level (ibid. 2012). As recession has been devastating even to France, the spending on
school education has also been influenced and diminished.
School Curriculum and Textbooks
The education system in France has legibly marked level wise curriculum objectives
which all school has to attain after the completion of the cycle. The curriculum of
nursery education (early learning cycle or cycle 1 – upto 6 years old) initial is divided
into five areas: appropriating language and getting ready to read and write; becoming
a pupil; corporal movement and expression; discovering the world; and seeing,
feeling, imagining, creating (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012). Besides learning
the French language and mathematics as core disciplines students go for foreign
languages, activities for discovering the world, artistic practices (visual arts and
musical education), the history of art, physical education and, in some schools,
a regional language in the first cycle of elementary school and go for new disciplines
in second cycle; history, geography, experimental science and technology (ibid.
2012).
Teaching in the lower secondary is organized to subjects:
French,Mathematics, History and Geography, Civic Education, Life and Earth
Sciences, Technology, Art, Musical Education, Physical Education, Physics and
Chemistry, two modern languages as well as the crosscurricular teaching ofthe history
of art in line with national curriculum objective (ibid. 2012).
Education system in France
7
The upper secondary education provides the pupil to make an option from
three available routes; general, technical and vocational routes. "The general route
leads holders of the baccalaureate towards extended study whereas the technological
routes favor the continuation of higher technological study, mainly in technical
careers (over two years) and, beyond, towards vocational bachelors and masters or
engineering studies" (ibid. 2012). The vocational route trains for vocational skills as
well as knowledge and know-how in a given field. The part of the learning is
delivered in the work place. Skills gained during these periods, defined by the
framework for each diploma, are assessed through an exam (ibid. 2012). The
textbooks are provided by the government in elementary school, even though the
guardians are supposed to get the books in secondary level but in practice it is being
funded by the state (ibid. 2012). The standards of teaching learning materials are
regulated by the state mechanism.
Compulsory and Free Education Scheme
Schooling has been compulsory since the law of 28 March 1882 (Ministere Education
Nationale, 2012). It iscompulsory from the age of six for all French or foreign
children resident in France. Early the compulsory schooling was only to thirteen (till
1959) and was extended to 16 after the time. However (with a prior declaration) the
family can home-school their children (Ibid. 2012). Local authorities
(municipalities/les communes, ibid. 2012) provide school supplies including the
textbook. The State provides free textbooks in lower secondary and is even supplying
at upper secondary,through regional authorities (ibid. 2012).Teachers are paid by the
state in almost all schools. This marks the school education in practice is free of
charge in France.
Education system in France
8
Teacher Management
Teachers are State civil servants (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012) and are
recruited through competitive exams. Now (2011 rules) demand that candidate have a
two-year master in order to enter in the service. Teacher preparation starts from
University. Students undertake placement in class responsibility as a trainee teacher
for a year. Furthering if the candidate satisfy the conditions, they are awarded
permanent status. There are at least four levels of competitive exams a candidate has
to go before his status would be defined as a teacher. Ministry of Higher Education
and Research (2011 as cited in Ministere Education Nationale, 2012) reports 859300
teachers including 720665 State schools are regulated by French education system.
The teachers’ function including, recruitment, training, pay, and allocation all are
controlled by the state (Refer Table 1, Competencies 3).
Specific Program for Differently Able
The practices stated in European Agency site (Para. 1-2, 2013) marks that children or
adolescents with special schooling and educational needs require particular care and
monitoring in well-defined options, distinct from the ordinary educational system.In
such situations, the education of children and adolescents with serious difficulties,
either through disability or illness, is smartly addressed through a network of working
institution. These includes; the public education system under the authority of the
Ministry of Education, the medico-educational sector, under the authority of the
Ministry of Health, Youth and Sports, the socio-educational sector, under the
authority either of the Ministry of Labor, Social Relations and Solidarity or the
Ministry of Justice, and the health sector (ibid., Para. 3, 2013). The law clearly marks
the identification of level of difficulties as well as institutional mechanism to address
Education system in France
9
the challenges of the learners. European Agency (2013) evaluates the facilities and
close monitoring have been so far successful on addressing the learning needs of
challenged learners.
Student Support System
The ‘tailored’ (Ministry 2012) supports targets pupils experiencing difficulties right
from elementary schools. The support even goes to five days withthree hours of daily
teaching tailored to the needs of the pupil during the breaks. Pupils who experience
serious academic difficulties when startinglower secondary can benefit tailored
support through referral units - SEGPA (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012)support
the needy to get to the pace.
A major reform of the lycee (upper secondary at present), tailored support is
offered to all pupils.It is included in their timetable and does not add to their
overallworkload (ibid. 2012).
There are additional support for upper secondary and furthering in higher
education and develop their career plans, that includes; support for pupils
experiencing difficulties; building on existing knowledge or a different approach to
thedisciplines studied; methodological support; careers guidance.
The French education system has declared an ‘Equal Opportunity Policy’ to
correct the effects of social andeconomic inequality in educational attainment and
ensure command ofthe common core by all pupils at the end of compulsory schooling
andreduce the attainment gap between pupils (Ministere Education Nationale,2012).
This policy and program targets schools in the greatest difficulties and with socially
more heterogeneous group of people.A program ‘Boarding Schools for Excellence’
focus on helping motivatedlearners who do not have a suitable environment for
Education system in France
10
studying and succeeding. The Ministry document records 45 such schools in 2012 to
contribute to equal opportunities and success for all (Ministere Education Nationale,
2012).
Student Evaluation System
The first stage of assessment is at the end of first cycle of primary (year 2 at primary
school, Ministere Education Nationale, 2012). It measures the acquisition of three
competences: proficiency in the French language, basic mathematics, social and civic
skills. The second stage is also in primary at the end of CM2 (last year of primary)
and allows pupils to be assessed at the end of primary in the seven competences as
marked above under the subtitle School Education Focus and Minimum Core
standards. These two assessments of primary are governed by the school, monitored
by the local units 'the region'.
There is a third and final assessment at the end of compulsory schooling,
usually in troisième (year 9), last year of lower secondary regulated by the state
(Ministere Education Nationale, 2009). State (central exam) mechanism assess the
seven skill and is certified by the head teacher at the end of year 9 – is a compulsory
prerequisite for the Diploma National du Brevet (DNB), the end of lower-secondary
school exam (Ministere Education Nationale, 2012).
Following, there is an Upper secondary certificate evaluationbaccalaureate
exam by state mechanism producing Baccalaureategeneral ettechnologies certification
for General and Technological route and Baccalaureateprofessional certification in
vocational route. There exists a variety of option within both the line of education.
This shows the evaluation system is also highly centralized in France.
Education system in France
11
Conclusion
The importance of education is truly understood and various measures have been
taken to guarantees quality education to all learners in French schooling practice.
Besides free and compulsory schooling the schools are also guided by freedom of
choice, neutrality and secularism in educational practices. The quality standards are in
par with the European community and focus to the notion of European council on key
competences for education and lifelong learning. Though the education has been
highly centralized, there is a level devolution in practice to monitor and regulate the
system. The teacher recruitment system is entirely centralized and controlled by the
state. The curriculum is state controlled and defined; students receive the texts book in
one or the other way throughout the schooling. Despite there is an interest to bring all
challenged learners in same environment (school) there are strong provision for
differently able to address their learning needs. In addition there are tailored supports
for those who do not do well; and special provisions like boarding school are for those
who do not have a study environment at home. The special provisions also intend to
support the socially heterogeneous society pupil at the same time. This marks the
education is truly free and highly state controlled.
The state controlled education system has three level standard evaluation
procedures. The primary level is regulated by the school in close supervision of the
local authority whereas the lower secondary and upper secondary certification is made
by the state itself. The education expenditure is almost same to OECD average
(Anonymous, 2012);interestingly there is a drop in average expenditure by pupil from
last few years. The European recession illness seems to show its mark even in
education.
Education system in France
12
Bibliography
Anonymous (2012).Education expenditures by country- The condition of education
2012. The study resource provided at Kathmandu University.
CharbonnierE. (2012). Country Note Education at a Glance 2012: OECD IndicatorFrance. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2012-en. DOI: 10.1787
Daun, H. (2004). Privatisation, Decentralisation and Governance in Education in the
Czech Republic, England,France, Germany and Sweden.International
Review of Education50, No. 3/4, pp.325-346. Retrieved from www.jstor.org
European Agency (2013).Special needs education within the education system France. Retrieved from www.european-agency.org
European Commission (2011/12).National student fee and support system 2011/12.
The study resource provided at Kathmandu University.
Eurydice (15 January, 2013). The structure of the European education systems
2012/13.(byEuropean Commission). Retrieved from http://eacea.ec.europa.eu
Globerover (2010).Education system in France.Retrieved from
http://globerove.com/france/ Reading resource Kathmandu University.
Minsitere Education Nationale (2009).School education in France. Retrieved
from www.eduscol.education.fr
Minsitere Education Nationale (November, 2012). School education in France.
Retrieved from www.eduscol.education.fr/dossiers.