French education has been undergoing major change lately. Reforms were instigated under the presidency of Jacques Chirac and have continued under Nicolas Sarkozy. They were largely based on the EU's Lisbon Strategy objectives.
France is currently behind in its 'Europe 2020' goal of cutting the share of early school leavers to below 10%. In 2008, 82% of pupils completed secondary school, while 18% of them left school without obtaining all their qualifications. Within this 18% figure, 8% obtained the brevet des collèges (gained at 15 years old) but did not get any further.
Reducing the number of early school leavers has been one of the main objectives of the past five years. In 2005, an orientation law concerning primary and secondary school was adopted, aimed at giving new impetus to education by stating clear objectives – one of which was reducing the number of early school leavers.
To this end, preventive measures like establishing a "common basis of knowledge" and increasing opportunities for individual support were taken.
In 2008, a ministerial circular aiming to reduce the number of dropouts by 10% every year only concerned schools located in banlieues [city suburbs], where the share of early school leavers is highest. This decision was sharply criticised by teachers' union SNES: ''The classification put aside numerous schools confronted with real difficulties.''
SNES was also very critical of the way in which drop-outs are perceived, in that local schemes to help them will be eligible for funding from the 'Inter-ministerial fund for the prevention of delinquency' (FIPD). ''This will contribute, once more, to the perception of drop-outs […] as potential delinquents.''
More recently the debate has changed. In spring 2010 the government focused on absenteeism. A law passed on 29 June stated that family allowances could be suspended in cases of repeated absenteeism. This was widely seen as the easy option, given that 5% of French pupils are absent for four-and-a-half days or more each month without any justification.
According to teachers' union UNSA, this measure is ''inefficient and unjust because if it was implemented, it would hit families that are already suffering hard''.
Sgen-CFDT, another teachers' union, does not find the government's policy coherent, since schools lack more and more proper means. ''Reducing the number of counsellors, social workers and teachers continues and it heightens more and more the difficulties that schools have,'' it declared in a press release.
In 2010, €60 billion – the largest share of the French budget – is allocated to national education. Another €30 billion is being put into higher education and research. France spent 5.6% of its GDP on education in 2007, above the EU average of 5% and more than the UK (5.4%) and Germany (4.5%).
40% with a degree: France aims for 50%
France is already ahead in its bid to increase the proportion of 30-34 year olds that have completed tertiary education from 31% to at least 40% by 2020. In 2008, 42% of its population aged 25-34 held such a qualification. France is ranked 3rd among EU member states, behind Belgium and Spain.
''The European objective of 40% is a positive one, but remains an average which is good for countries lagging behind and has no impact for countries ahead,'' declared Marc Delepouve, head of the international department at professors' union SNESUP.
France has been quite proactive in that its 2005 orientation law stated that 50% of the current generation of school pupils should hold a tertiary degree by 2015. When the minister for tertiary education and research, Valérie Pécresse, met the European commissioner in charge of education Androulla Vassiliou, in April, she mentioned that France had set itself the challenging objective of reaching 50% by 2012.
To meet this objective, the plan 'Réussir en licence', launched in 2007, was given €730 million to be allocated to universities by 2012. To combat student failure, tutoring was promoted and given specific time slots. Two additional hours per week for languages and computer science were also established. Lectures were to be reduced in order to give priority to seminars, where students can work more effectively.
While implementation is still under way, the plan has so far drawn mixed reactions.
