History of education in France

While the French trace the development of their educational system to Napolon, the modern era
of French education begins at the end of the nineteenth century. Jules Ferry, a Minister of Public
Instruction in the 1880s, is widely credited for creating the modern school (l'cole rpublicaine)
by requiring all children between the ages of 6 and 12, both boys and girls, to attend. He also
made public instruction mandatory, free of charge, and secular (laque). With these laws, known
as French Lubbers, Jules Ferry laws, and several others, the Third Republic repealed most of
the Falloux Laws of 18501851, which gave an important role to the clergy.
History of education in France
The education system in France can be traced back to the Roman Empire. Schools may have
operated continuously from the later empire to the early Middle Ages in some towns in southern
France. The school system was modernized during the French Revolution, but rough in 19th and
early 19th century debates ranged on the role of religion.
Gaul and Roman Empire
Prior to the establishment of the Roman empire, education in Gaul was a domestic task or
provided by itinerant druids traveling in the Celtic Western Europe. Latin schools were later
established by wealthy patricians.
Middle Ages
Charlemagne greatly increased the provision of monastic schools and scriptoria (centres for
book-copying) in Francia. In 789, he published the Admonitio generalis, ordering that each
bishopric organises a school for non-ecclesiastic students, which makes Charlemagne - not
without exaggeration - to be considered the father of education in France. As in other parts of
medieval Western Europe, literacy was mainly in Latin. Church schools associated to abbeys and
cathedrals developed from the 8th century onwards and were controlled by the Catholic Church.
The University of Paris was one of the first universities in Europe, created possibly as early as
1150. Grammar schools, often situated in cathedrals, taught the Latin language and law.
Earlier modern period
In the early modern period, colleges were established by various Catholic orders, notably
the Oratorians. In parallel, universities further developed in France. Louis XIV's Ordonnance
royale sur les coles paroissiales of 13 December 1698 obliged parents to send their children to
the village schools until their 14th year of age, ordered the villages to organize these schools, and
set the wages for the teachers..
Revolution
By the 1800s France had about 350 eight-year and six-year colleges; they provided classical
education to about 50,000 young men from the ages of 10 to 20. Some were centuries old, and
most gave scholarships to their students. They were primarily funded by cash endowments and
farmlands, but in 1789 during the French Revolution, the government seized their endowments
and properties and dismissed priests and church-controlled teachers. The plan was for local
governments to take up the burden while the central government set up a new system of
advanced schools. The new funding plan was not effective for years and meanwhile many of the
schools closed or struggled after a 90% reduction in income. By 1793 the national government
sold off properties because it needed the money for its foreign wars. A similar treatment was
given charitable institutions.
Condorcet in 1792 drew up plans for universal schooling, but it was based on the assumption that
the historic endowments would be available. The endowments were diverted to military expenses
in 1793 and Condorcet's plan was not adopted.
New secondary schools were established in the larger cities, and were open to all young men of
talent. Liberal education, including especially modern sciences, became possible and widespread.
It was geared to young men who would become bureaucrats in the new regime. A short-lived "loi
Bouquier" (29 frimaire an II) was soon replaced by the "loi Daunou" of 3 brumaire an IV (25
October 1795), which organises the elementary schools, taking away the compulsoriness, and
reinstating school fees.
Faculties of the Universit de France were organised as four categories (law, medecine, sciences,
humanities), under the strict supervision from the government.
After more than a decade of closures, Napoleon set up lyces in 1802 as the main secondary
education establishments targeting baccalaurat examinations. They taught French, Latin,
Ancient Greek and sciences. A law of 1808 fixed the syllabus as "ancient languages, history,
rhetoric, logic and the elements of mathematical and physical sciences". They were usually
boarding schools under military-like discipline.
19th century
Educational policy was highly politicized and used as a weapon in the battle between republican
left and monarchist right. The conservatives wanted schools controlled by the Catholic Church
that would teach obedience and traditionalism. The radicals were anticlerical and afraid of
church influence and demanded secular education, with no role for the church and an emphasis
on teaching republicanism.
The Loi Guizot of 1833 provided for free education at the parish level. After the Bourbon
Restoration, the lyces were called collges royaux but were renamed lyce in the Second
Republic. This was confirmed by the loi Falloux (texte). At this time the lyces included junior
classes.
An act proposed by Camille Se in 1880 brought secondary schools for girls. There were 36 such
schools in 1896. Secondary schooling became free of charge between 1926 and 1930.
Total spending on the public system of secondary schools in 1865 was 28 million francs a year.
Three-quarters of the money was tuition paid by the parents, and only 5.9 million francs came
from the national and local governments. However, families spent even more money for private
schools, lay and Catholic, which in 1865 enrolled more pupils than the public system at the
secondary level.
The schools became political battlegrounds after the end of the Second Empire. The radicals
passed the Jules Ferry laws, which established first free education (1881) then mandatory
and laic education (1882). Proposed by the Republican Minister of Public Instruction Jules Ferry,
they were a crucial step in the secularization of the Third Republic (18711940). Republicans
feared that since religious orders, especially the Jesuits and Assumptionists, controlled the
schools then anti-Republicanism was indoctrinated to children. Determined to root this out,
Republicans insisted they needed control of the schools, if economic and militaristic progress
was to be achieved (Republicans felt that one of the primary reasons for the German victory in
1870 was the superior education system). Religious instruction in all schools was forbidden and
religious orders were forbidden to teach in them. Funds were appropriated from religious schools
in order to build more state schools. Later in the century other laws passed by Ferry's successors
further weakened the Church's position in French society. Civil marriage became compulsory,
divorce was introduced and chaplains were removed from the army.
Higher education
France lagged well behind Germany in technological education but was on par with Britain and
the United States. During the 19th century, a number of higher education grandes coles were
established to support industry and commerce, including Ecole Suprieure de Commerce de
Paris (today ESCP Europe, founded in 1819), cole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures(cole
centrale de Paris) in 1829, cole des arts industriels et des mines (cole centrale de Lille) in
1854 and cole centrale lyonnaise pour l'Industrie et le Commerce (cole centrale de Lyon) in
1857.
During the latter part of the 19th centuries, new grandes coles were established so as to further
develop education in new fields of sciences and technologies, including HEC School of
Management (HEC Paris), cole nationale suprieure des tlcommunications (TELECOM
ParisTech), the cole suprieure d'lectricit (Suplec).
20th century
A decree of 1959 established "classical, modern and technical lycees". In 1963, the junior classes
were absorbed into primary schools. In 1977 lyces d'enseignement professionnel (vocational
schools) were established. They were renamed lyce professionnel in 1985.
In 1985, the education minister, Jean-Pierre Chevnement, announced a target of "80% of an age
group to reach baccalaurat level". This aim was taken up by his successor, Ren Monory and
informed an act of parliament in 1989 proposed by Lionel Jospin. In the next decade lyces and
higher education grew rapidly. The baccalaurat professionnel was created in 1987. It allowed
the holder of a Brevet d'tudes professionnelles or a Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle to
complete their secondary education and perhaps be able to undertake higher study. Between 1987
and 1995, the number of baccalaureate holders rose from 300,000 to 500,000.

Source: wikipedia
Education System in France
School education is compulsory for children aged between six and sixteen; this obligation covers
both elementary education (elementary school) and the first four years (collge) of secondary
education.
Children are enrolled in kindergarten by their parents, whereas they are automatically enrolled in
elementary school.

Parents may choose the educational institutions they wish their children to attend when
those reach the age to go to the lyce. Children go to kindergarten or nursery school from
the age of three, or the age of two subject to availability of places.
Enrolment takes place during the first half of the calendar year at the town hall near the place of
residence.
A special rule applies in day nurseries: children who reach the age of three between September
and 31 December of that year may attend nursery school from September on. Children who turn
three between 1 January and 1 March may go to nursery school, subject to availability of places,
from 1 January until the end of the February holidays at the latest. Children who turn three after
1 March may go to day nursery until the start of the new school year.

Elementary school is compulsory for all children who have reached the age of six.
Generally, parents are expected to enrol their children in the school near their place of
residence. Public education is free.
If a child has never been to school in France, enrolment in elementary school takes place at the
school or at the town hall near the parents place of residence.
In Paris, a child aged six and over who does not speak French is sent by the local town hall to a
school where French-language courses for beginners are available. Children under six attend
regular classes in school.

Secondary education for pupils aged 16 and over is dispensed in lyces denseignement
gnral et technologique (secondary schools) and in lyces professionnels (secondary
schools for vocational training). Pupils attend the former establishments for three years,
from the classes de Seconde ("1st year of lyce education"), de Premire (2nd year) and
de Terminale (final year), to study for the Baccalaurat gnral and Baccalaurat
technologique examinations. They attend the latter establishments for two years to study
for the Certificat daptitude professionnelle - CAP (vocational training certificate); two
more years are required to prepare for the Baccalaurat professionnel examination.
To enrol your child(ren) in a collge or lyce, please contact the establishment of your choice
directly or the Inspection acadmique, Service de la division des lves (education authority).
Your child(ren) will have to take a French-language test.

Higher education includes several systems:

The Grandes coles of engineering and business administration. These are competitive-
entrance higher education institutions offering either four or five-year courses directly
after the Baccalaurat or three-year courses after two years of classe prparatoire
(preparatory class) during which students prepare for the entrance examinations to the
Grandes coles.

Vocational training lasts two to three years after the Baccalaurat. Courses may be taken
in the Sections de techniciens suprieurs - STS (Advanced technicians sections) where
students prepare for the Brevet de technicien suprieur - BTS (vocational training
certificate for advanced technicians) and are also taught by the Instituts universitaires de
technologie - IUT (polytechnics).

Some training courses have special entrance requirements and their own organization
(study of medicine, pharmacy, paramedical studies, study of art and architecture, etc.).
To begin higher studies in France, foreign students must have a French baccalaureate or foreign
equivalent and be able to prove that their command of French is good enough for them to take
the course of their choice.
Entrance procedures vary depending on the educational institution and the chosen training
course. For the Classes prparatoires for entrance to the Grandes coles, IUTs (polytechnics) and
Instituts universitaires professionaliss - IUP (professional university institutes) students are to
enrol directly with the institution concerned. For Premier cycle enrolment at a university,
students are required to file an entrance application before the start of the academic year.
Students are required to take a written examination and an oral to test their command of French.
It is possible to continue with ones higher education in France and to apply for a place on a
course at university. The choen institution alone will be authorized to validate a students
previous education.

Source: france diplomatie