Changes of the educational system in France in the past 70 years

Abstract

The first chapter of the study focuses on the evolution of the education system under the Fifth Republic of France. It shows how the position of denominational schools was stabilized by the establishment of a the new political system from 1958 allowing the budgetary funding of denominational schools. Although later political forces on the left and the right wing attempted to provide hegemony and better position for the kind of school they found preferable, political protest movements hampered the fulfilment of these wishes. This situation has notably resulted in the fact that nowadays there are more and more French families whose children attended schools belonging to both sectors during their studies. The analysis is also shows the evolution over the last decades of the structure of the French school system, in particular by pointing out the emergence of new types of schools. For example, under the presidency of De Gaulle, a new type of high-performing technical higher educational institution offering short training was created, and the unification of lower secondary education had also begun. The changes in the field of school guidance have meant that while the voice of teachers and schools was decisive before, later the influence of those directly affected by decisions (pupils and parents) has grown. From the 1970s, among the values which determine educational policy, the importance of concerns relating to equal opportunities has increased. In this spirit, disadvantaged children’ enrolment in nursery school has been facilitated. At the same time certain structural aspects of education (e.g.)highly selective higher education establishments as well as the slow evolution of teachers’ traditional conceptions of their professional roles hamper the achievement of the objectives relating to the equal opportunities.