The French education system “knows how to produce excellence” but “is undoubtedly one of those which most reproduces inequalities”, estimated Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Saturday during an intervention at the Economic Meetings of Aix-en. -Provence (Bouches-du-Rhone). In a fifteen-minute speech devoted to global “transformations”, Elisabeth Borne presented education as “our first common good”, with “considerable challenges” for France.
“I think we have a system in France that knows how to produce excellence and we saw the Fields medal again last week, which was won by Hugo Duminil-Copin”, but “one of the main challenges facing our system education is that it is undoubtedly one of those who most reproduces inequalities, ”she said.
Fight against inequalities
According to the Prime Minister, “we also have the paradox of still having an unemployment rate that is not that of full employment and yet companies that are having great difficulty in recruiting. So that means that our education system, our training system, obviously does not train the skills that our economy needs”. She said she was “convinced that we have a profound transformation to make of our education system to allow everyone to reveal their talents”.
“Obviously it is the teachers who are at the heart of this considerable challenge, there is a huge process of upgrading the teaching profession which is essential, and we must undoubtedly also rethink this teaching profession and do it of course with those who are the first concerned, that is to say the teachers themselves”, underlined Elisabeth Borne.
“Continue the refoundation of the school”
In her general policy statement on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said she wanted to “continue the refoundation of the school”, so that it “consolidates fundamental knowledge” and “grabs new knowledge such as computer coding”. She had mentioned the upgrading of teachers and a “new pact” to be built with them during the “consultation” planned from September.
In line with the “Marseille en grand” plan and the announcements of the Head of State for more autonomy, Elisabeth Borne wants to give “room for maneuver” to establishments to adapt to “local situations and the needs of pupils. “. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron insisted on the fight against the reproduction of “social inequalities” at school, targeting “the first ages” with the duplication of CP and CE1 classes in priority education. During his 2022 campaign, he announced that he wanted to extend these split classes.