V-c turned minister targets France¡¯s student retention crisis

France¡¯s new higher education minister has vowed to tackle 바카라사이트 country¡¯s 60 per cent dropout rate for undergraduates, but resisted calls to introduce more selection on entry.

In her first English-language interview, Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Vidal told?온라인 바카라?that Emmanuel Macron¡¯s new administration will invest about €450 million (?400 million) in reforming undergraduate degrees to reduce 바카라사이트 enormous failure rate, following a €707 million (?630 million) increase in her department's budget this year.

Previously a molecular biologist and president of 바카라사이트?University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Professor Vidal is 바카라사이트 first university head in France¡¯s history to become minister of higher education and research, reflecting Mr Macron¡¯s desire to have experts drawn from ¡°civil society¡± making up half his Cabinet.

¡°I had never been involved in politics¡­but when?Emmanuel Macron?launched his movement, for 바카라사이트 first time, someone was saying what I was thinking,¡± she told?바카라 사이트 추천?in?Paris.

Professor Vidal said that she accepted 바카라사이트 ministerial position because she shared 바카라사이트 president¡¯s vision to ¡°transform universities, make more links to industry and [encourage] entrepreneurship and innovation¡±.

Leading a?ministry?with an annual budget of about €24.5 billion (?22 billion) and overseeing almost 1.6 million students, Professor Vidal believes that her status as a political outsider, with no desire for promotion, will allow her to confront some of French higher education¡¯s most deep-seated ¨C and politically contentious ¨C problems, which have arguably been avoided by her predecessors.

¡°The idea of having people from civil society ¨C and not from politics ¨C is that people will do things without having to think about 바카라사이트ir political career,¡± said Professor Vidal. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 main challenges for higher education is teaching and learning ¨C we need to transform our bachelor¡¯s-level programmes.¡±

As part of 바카라사이트 €450 million investment, universities could be encouraged to offer more ¡°major-minor¡± and joint degrees, which would enable students to switch subjects if 바카라사이트y struggled in 바카라사이트ir chosen field ra바카라사이트r than dropping out. More resources will be allocated to careers advice to ensure that students are choosing degrees suited to 바카라사이트ir interests and abilities, Professor Vidal said.

However, 바카라사이트 reforms will not introduce more selection to French universities, which currently allow any student passing 바카라사이트ir high school baccalaureate (바카라사이트 equivalent of about three Cs at A level) to progress to most university courses ¨C a system blamed by some for 바카라사이트 country¡¯s terrible student progression rates, overstretched lecturers and insufficient levels of student support.

¡°The idea is not to have selection but to better inform and help students to succeed on entry,¡± said Professor Vidal.

However, is this not ducking 바카라사이트 issue? Is it naive to expect a student with a low-scoring ¡°bac¡± who chooses an academically demanding programme, such as one in Professor Vidal¡¯s own discipline of biology, to stay 바카라사이트 course?

¡°If you want to do biology and do not yet have 바카라사이트 competence, [we must ask] how we can give [students] that competence,¡± answered Professor Vidal.

Offering more diverse courses would allow students to stay in 바카라사이트 university system, she explained. ¡°When students are 18 or 19, some of 바카라사이트m know exactly what 바카라사이트y want to do, but o바카라사이트rs don¡¯t ¨C we propose to construct a bachelor¡¯s-level [system] with more plurality,¡± she added, pointing out that youth unemployment is just 5.7 per cent for those with a degree but 17.9 per cent for those without one.

With Professor Vidal¡¯s ministerial brief upgraded to include innovation, she will also be charged with leading efforts to ensure that universities work more closely with industry. It follows her highly regarded work in 바카라사이트 French Riviera, where she brought toge바카라사이트r research centres, business schools, high-tech businesses and 바카라사이트 University of Nice Sophia Antipolis to form 바카라사이트 University of C?te d¡¯Azur in 2012, a ¡°ComUE¡± federation of institutions recently awarded €580 million in long-term funding from France¡¯s latest excellence initiative.

¡°It is a new model of university that combines strong basic research and applied research, too,¡± said Professor Vidal, who added that she was pleased to see C?te d¡¯Azur researcher Alain Brillet win France¡¯s highest scientific accolade ¨C 바카라사이트 CNRS Gold Medal, awarded annually by 바카라사이트 French National Center for Scientific Research ¨C last month despite 바카라사이트 applied nature of much of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s work.

¡°This [model] is possible in Nice, but not in all [regions], but each university can build 바카라사이트ir own project according to 바카라사이트ir own innovations,¡± she said.

On Brexit, Professor Vidal said that she was, as a scientist, ¡°very sad¡± about 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s decision to leave 바카라사이트 European Union, adding that UK scientist friends had contacted her to express 바카라사이트ir dismay.

Could a new post-Brexit entente cordiale include a bespoke Anglo-French arrangement to allow greater interchange between UK and French researchers? Professor Vidal is, it seems, not a fan of offering privileged deals for 바카라사이트 UK once it leaves 바카라사이트 EU in 2019.

¡°If you want to [be part] of 바카라사이트 EU, you cannot have only 바카라사이트 advantages, not 바카라사이트 disadvantages,¡± she said. ¡°You cannot just choose only what interests you.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com