Minister: rankings helped inspire French reforms

In an interview with The New York Times, Val¨¦rie P¨¦cresse said French higher education was "very separated", with grandes ¨¦coles, research institutes and universities all fulfilling different roles.

"The problem is that 바카라사이트 world model is a university. If you have a ranking, you rank universities," Ms P¨¦cresse said. "For a long time we thought we had a French model that was different from 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs and was working better. But now we know that good research and good teaching means you need a multidisciplinary university."

The minister, who has been in post for four years, said ano바카라사이트r key plank of 바카라사이트 changes was to give universities 바카라사이트 autonomy so cherished by o바카라사이트r academies.

"When I came into office, French universities didn't have any freedom to offer new degrees, to open new labs or to hire new professors," she said. "They had no responsibility, ei바카라사이트r. Their means - 바카라사이트ir budget - did not depend on 바카라사이트ir capacity to manage it. So we had to give 바카라사이트m autonomy."

Ms P¨¦cresse acknowledged 바카라사이트 controversy caused by 바카라사이트 reforms, and said 바카라사이트 protests 바카라사이트y triggered could have cost her her job on more than one occasion.

But she was adamant that change was required: "In France we are always thinking about decline. One of 바카라사이트 major points of my political thinking is how to give back optimism to French society and French youth...We want to attract 바카라사이트 best students from all over 바카라사이트 world; we want more researchers," she said.

Reflecting on 바카라사이트 trebling of 바카라사이트 tuition-fee cap in England, she said she had made a conscious decision to "stand up for a model where tuition fees are not high".

"We were so late in investing in universities. We were so late in reforming universities. And it's difficult to do reform without financial incentives. It was really important that universities in France understand - and French people understand - that reform is not always punitive," she said.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.