The document provides an overview of the history and structure of the French education system. It discusses how the system was influenced by Catholicism until becoming officially secular in 1905. It also describes the system's emphasis on equality, national identity formation, and laïcité (secularism). The structure is characterized by a highly centralized and state-regulated system with five levels culminating in university education. Students are tracked starting in high school, where they must pass the baccalauréat exam to advance to higher education.

1. COMPARATIVE EDUCATION PROJECT
CASE STUDY
Pamela Noble
Education 604, Section B11
Dr. Mark Wood
Liberty University

2. Abstract
A Brief History of Education in France
 France’s first encounter with formalized education came in 121 BCE with the Roman conquest of
the southern regions of Celtic Gaul
 Education did not become established in any way until the reign of Catholic King Charlemagne in
768 CE, where a “chief educator” presided in his court.
 In 1150 CE, the University of Paris was founded as a leading theological and educational center
for Europe. Catholic religious communities such as Jesuits, Oratorians, and Christian Brothers
established organized schools in the 16th & 17th centuries (Gutek, 2006).
 Napoleon’s need for well educated military commanders in 1808 led to the tight state control of
education, still in effect today

3. HISTORY OF EDUCATION CONT’D….
Since 1905 France has been an officially secular state.
Ferry Laws mandating that education be religion-free, the 1904 Laic Laws banning̈
clergy from religious instruction and other laws (Williams, 2011 p. 186).
In 1989 after years of successively low pass rates on the baccalauréat, the national
high school completion exam, lead to a national goal of an 80% baccalauréat success rate
being set by the government.
In 2002 France began its Bologna Process integration and its shift to Europe’s LMD
(Licence-Master-Doctorat) system (Gutek, 2006).

4.  Is one of one of the founding principles of the French Republic.
 In France, males and females have the same legal access to education.
 The current French educational system is characterized by a centralized, uniform and highly state
regulated system. The National Ministry of Education is the largest employer in the country, as every
teacher is a civil servant..
Major Influences on the French Education System
Equality:

5. MAJOR INFLUENCES ON THE FRENCH EDUCATION SYSTEM
CONT’D…..
EDUCATION AND NATIONAL IDENTITY:
 The French education system has always been central to national identity creation in France. Before
the Revolution, education was used to build France’s Catholic religious identity and loyalty to the
monarchy.
 The French language itself was not spoken by the majority of French citizens until a king made it
mandatory.
 After the Revolution it continued to serve the Republic as a means of creating of citizenship and
shaping national identity (Gutek, 2006).

6. MAJOR INFLUENCES ON THE FRENCH EDUCATION SYSTEM
CONT’D…..
 France’s particular brand of institutionalized secularism is referred to as “laicitë ́”.
 The National Ministry of Education defines laicite in terms of respect and equity, a laicite of̈ ́ ̈ ́
neutrality approach. “
 “The respect for the beliefs of pupils and their parents means the absence of religious teaching
in the syllabus – which does not prevent the teaching about religion – and the banning of
proselytism” (Eduscol, 2013). ́
 After years of debate, in 2002, the French began teaching what is referred to as “facts of
religion” or “religion as a human phenomenon,” in schools.

7. Structure of The French Education System
Policy in Review:
The national system provides a free education at every level and advancement in this
educational system is conditional upon the successful completion of comprehensive exams.
The French education system consists of five levels.
 The pre-elementary level (maternelle)
 The elementary level (ecole primairé )
 The middle school level (collegè )
 The high school level (lyceé )
 And finally the university level (Gutek,
2006)

8. Structure of The French Education System Cont’d….. (ONUÉSC, 2011)
Click on diagram above for pdf version
 The system begins to track students with six different tracks in high school.

9. Structure of The French Education System Cont’d…..
 At the end of high school, students wishing to continue to higher education
after their high school must pass their respective baccalauréat for their
track.
 The baccalauréat is a comprehensive national examination which demonstrates
that one has mastered high school skills successfully.
 It is a prerequisite for entering higher education.
 Higher education is also highly tracked by field of study, though the system
has now uniformly adopted the Licence-Master-Doctorat format to be in line
with Europe’s Bologna Process.
 The US system fosters greater student mobility and the easier recognition
of the degrees abroad (Gutek, 2006).

10. The Bologna Process
 The Bologna declaration aims at a certain degree of convergence and
unification of the European higher education systems.
 The Bologna Process does not aim to harmonize national educational systems
but rather to provide tools to connect them.
 The intention is to allow diversity of national systems and universities to be
maintained by the EHEA.

11. “Application of the Principle of Secularity” Law
Christian Worldview
 In 2004, the French government banned all ‘ostentatious religious symbols’ in
schools from primary school to high school.
 Many groups including Human Rights Watch consider this policy a violation of
freedom of religion.
This included:
1. Muslim hijab.
2. Jewish kippah.
3. And large Christian crosses.

12. Chart of Laicite at School̈ ́
 Each classroom must post the Ministry’s poster entitled “Chart of Laicite at School.”̈ ́

13. Chart of Laicite at School Cont’d…..̈ ́
 The Nation Confides to the School the Mission of Sharing with the Students the
Values of the Republic.
 15 colorful paragraphs that shares its core values based message, “The Republic is
laique. School is laique”̈ ̈
 “The impression portrayed is that France is not overly concerned with protecting
the rights of ethnic minorities because the enactment demonstrates a level of
intolerance against Muslims and, symbolically, of their rejection by France” (ldriss,
2006).

14. French Cartoons on Laïcité at School


15. References
 Chimulus. (2013, September 9). La charte de la laïcité de Vincent Peillon
dans chaque école. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from Urtikan:
http://www.urtikan.net/dessin-du-jour/la-charte-de-la-laicite-de-vincent-
peillon-dans-chaque-ecole/

Deligne. (2013, September 10 a). Une charte pour expliquer la laïcité à
l’école. Retrieved Feburary 27, 2015, from Urtikan:
http://www.urtikan.net/dessin-du-jour/une-charte-pour-expliquer-la-laicite-a-
lecole/
 GAUTHIER, R.-F. and LE GOUVELLO, M. (2010), The French Curricular
Exception and the Troubles of Education and Internationalisation: will it be
enough to ‘rearrange the deckchairs’?. European Journal of Education, 45: 74–
88. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3435.2009.01416.x
 Merle, P. (2002). Democratization or increase in educational inequality?
changes in the length of studies in France, 1988-1998. Population, 57(4), 631-
657. doi:- 10.2307/3246660