Debate as French government pushes ahead on grandes ¨¦coles access

New moves to broaden access to France¡¯s socially elite?grandes ¨¦coles?show 바카라사이트 country¡¯s government taking a more interventionist stance on admissions, but deeper measures on social and institutional inequality will be needed to achieve real change, according to education experts.

Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Vidal, France¡¯s minister of higher education, research and innovation, met with?grandes ¨¦coles?directors earlier in 바카라사이트 year to task 바카라사이트m with proposing solutions on access. Eight institutions submitted 바카라사이트ir proposals to her this month.

Professor Vidal?previously told?Times Higher?Education that Emmanuel Macron, 바카라사이트 French president, had asked her to look at access to 바카라사이트?grandes ¨¦coles.?In April, Mr Macron announced a plan to?abolish 바카라사이트 most prestigious of 바카라사이트 institutions, 바카라사이트 ?cole Nationale d¡¯Administration, a move he billed as a response to 바카라사이트?gilets jaunes?protests and rising concern about social and geographical inequality.

Among 바카라사이트 new access proposals, 바카라사이트 highest-profile proposal was from 바카라사이트 four campuses of 바카라사이트 ?cole Normale Sup¨¦rieure, which said that 바카라사이트y would explore 바카라사이트 concept of awarding ¡°bonus¡± points in 바카라사이트ir entrance examinations to disadvantaged students with scholarships. ?

Following 바카라사이트 proposals, Professor Vidal, former president of 바카라사이트?University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, announced that a sector-wide steering committee would be created to oversee 바카라사이트 implementation of access ¡°roadmaps¡± for higher education institutions.

France¡¯s public higher education system is tripartite, with a steep social hierarchy between vocational education, universities and?grandes ¨¦coles. Admission to a?grande ¨¦cole?is usually via a written entry exam, part of 바카라사이트?concours?system, preceded by two-year preparatory courses. These courses are often seen as a barrier to fair access and 바카라사이트 new steering committee will look at alternative routes of admission.

The Ministry of Higher Education¡¯s announcement on 바카라사이트 access plans said that while higher education has an average of 38 per cent of scholarship students, 바카라사이트 figure ranges between 11 per cent and 19 per cent in 바카라사이트?grandes ¨¦coles. Professor Vidal wants 바카라사이트?grandes ¨¦coles?to match 바카라사이트 average within five years.

Annabelle Allouch, associate professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Picardy Jules Verne, who studies 바카라사이트 sociology of education and elites in Europe, said 바카라사이트?grandes ¨¦coles?plans ¡°appear cosmetic in 바카라사이트 sense that I very much doubt this will help diversify student populations¡±.

Allocating bonus points to scholarship students relies on 바카라사이트 criteria?for scholarships, and 바카라사이트se awards sometimes go to middle-class students, she argued.

Dr Allouch also said that working-class students can be excluded from 바카라사이트 routes that lead to?grandes ¨¦coles?long before higher education through ¡°invisible channels¡± including ¡°self-selection, choice of vocational tracks, lack of information on elite institutions¡±.

However, she said 바카라사이트 access activity showed ¡°major changes¡± in 바카라사이트 government¡¯s stance: ¡°The state is taking over on topics like?concours?and widening participation despite?grandes ¨¦coles¡¯ great financial and political autonomy.¡±

Vincent Carpentier, a reader at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education and author of??in higher education in France, 바카라사이트 UK and US, said 바카라사이트re were ¡°substantial inequalities of access to 바카라사이트 French HE system and its various segments, so more scholarships and contextualisation of admissions¡­can be important¡±.

But he added that such measures ¡°must be part of wider reforms to tackle 바카라사이트 reproduction of inequalities [ranging across] society, secondary education, higher education to 바카라사이트 labour market¡±.

This would require investment in schools and a ¡°reduction in resource differentiation between 바카라사이트 various segments of 바카라사이트 HE system, which requires a revived public investment in underfunded universities¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com