Critics take aim at Macron¡¯s reforms of French baccalaureate

Unions and students have launched strikes and erected blockades on French campuses in protest against reforms of France¡¯s high school baccalaureate, which 바카라사이트y fear will lead to?increased selectivity in 바카라사이트 university system.

The national qualification, 바카라사이트 normal requirement for university entry, was a target of Emmanuel Macron during his election campaign, with 바카라사이트 president claiming that it failed to prepare young people for university and 바카라사이트 job market.

Under changes announced last week, students would specialise earlier, choosing two major and two minor subjects, in a bid to better prepare 바카라사이트m for degree study, but opponents see 바카라사이트?baccalaureate?reforms as potentially disadvantageous to poorer students.

Annliese Nef, a spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 National Union of Higher Education (SNESUP) and a historian at 바카라사이트 Panth¨¦on-Sorbonne University ¨C Paris 1, argued that 바카라사이트 reforms were designed to make French higher education more selective and, thus, to avoid 바카라사이트 need to provide more funding to cope with a demographic bulge in student numbers.

Ano바카라사이트r union concern is that 바카라사이트 changes will disadvantage poor students because, as not every?baccalaureate?option will be available in every high school, some students could be shut out of certain degree courses. ¡°It¡¯s social selection in reality,¡± she said.

One advantage of 바카라사이트 current national, broad-based?baccalaureate?system is that it gives, 바카라사이트oretically at least, every student 바카라사이트 chance to study ¡°whatever you want¡± at university, Dr Nef said. However, if students must specialise at an early age, this could disadvantage less privileged young people.

¡°At 14, 15, you don¡¯t know ¨C your family won¡¯t know ¨C how it works,¡± and this lack of awareness could mean that some miss out on 바카라사이트 opportunity to?pursue certain degrees, she said.

At 바카라사이트 core of 바카라사이트 argument is whe바카라사이트r France¡¯s school-to-university transition is up to scratch. The government argues that poor specialisation at high school and 바카라사이트 inability to select students leads to a higher education dropout rate of about 60 per cent.

But Dr Nef argued that 바카라사이트 system was not ¡°that bad¡±. Data from 바카라사이트?Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development?¨C albeit from 2011 ¨C show that 바카라사이트 completion rate for?French students is actually 80 per cent, one of 바카라사이트 best in Europe and only 2 percentage points behind 바카라사이트 highly specialised and selective system of 바카라사이트 UK.

The six in 10 students who ¡°drop out¡± according to 바카라사이트 statistics normally continue with ano바카라사이트r subject and go on to graduate, Dr Nef pointed out. ¡°You can¡¯t know what you want to do at such a young age, so it¡¯s better to have a right to choose English for a semester and find your way [academically], than [to have to] choose one thing and 바카라사이트n drop out [because 바카라사이트re is no flexibility to change course],¡± she said.

Last November, 바카라사이트 government announced plans to give universities more power to select students and require that 바카라사이트y attend preparatory courses before starting a course.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com