France has had four ministers of education in the last two and a half years, and may well get another one under newly appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier. In a country where the central government largely decides what happens in schools nationwide, the turnover has led to considerable uncertainty for pupils and teachers alike.
France's recent political crisis, which left the country without a prime minister for months following snap elections earlier this summer, has added to the upheaval in French education policy after a rotation of four ministers in two school years.
At the start of this new term, the caretaker government was tasked with implementing some reforms and suspending others, all while facing budget cuts and a shortage of 3,000 teachers.
Tension between ministers
Outgoing Education Minister Nicole Belloubet is not on board with all of the reforms introduced by Gabriel Attal, who held her post from July 2023 to January of this year, when he was appointed prime minister.
The tension between the two was made clear Monday when each decided to visit a different school on the first day of class, an appearance the education minister usually makes accompanied by the premier.
Belloubet is tasked with overseeing the implementation of several reforms that were introduced by Attal, including the introduction of level groups for French and maths students in middle school.
Unpopular plans
Teachers and parents have protested against the measure, which they say will divide students and add to inequality.
Belloubet has tempered the reform, saying it will bring in “needs groups” instead of the “level groups” initially announced.
She promised the changes would be implemented with “flexibility and pragmatism”.
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Other measures have been suspended pending a new government, including a plan to make the brevet, a diploma awarded at the end of middle school, a requirement to enter high school.
In the face of the uncertainty, shrinking resources and a teacher shortage, several unions have called for a strike on 10 September.
Ministry turnover
Appointed in February, Belloubet has had little opportunity to introduce her own education policies.
She took over from Amelie Oudéa-Castera, who was put in charge of both education and sports for only a month after Attal was named prime minister in January.
The messy turnover followed Attal’s nearly six-month tenure at the Education Ministry.
Education ministers have historically had some leeway to leave their mark, but some see recent changes – like Attal’s announcement of ban on abbayas at the start of last school year – as aiming more at media attention than meaningful reform.
“We are increasingly seeing communications announcements,” education historian Claude Lelievre told broadcaster FranceInfo. While the trend dates back at least to the start of President Emmanuel Macron's time in office, he said, back then “there was at least ministerial stability”.
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Wait and see
During a summer of political uncertainty, with a caretaker government in charge, civil servants have taken the lead to maintain continuity and allow the school year to start smoothly.
The Education Ministry's Directorate General for Schools is in charge of implementing policy, and “it is really what will keep things running at the start of this school year”, newly appointed director Caroline Pascal told the Express magazine.
Working with local school boards, its administrators are overseeing what has “already been debated, decided, approved and published”, she said.
“We will have to wait for the nomination of a new government to know more about possible future political orientations.”
