La s¨¦lection: 바카라사이트 admissions procedure that dare not speak its name

Across France, final-year high-school students are confronting a new and disconcerting reality when it comes to university admission.

They are being in a moving queue for entry to 바카라사이트ir chosen degree courses, with no guarantee of securing a place in any of 바카라사이트m. Feelings are running high among university students, too, with some institutions forced to move end-of-year examinations to external locations or set up online assessments in response to . Academics have also joined in 바카라사이트 protests against ¡°" (translated roughly as ¡°Pathway HE¡±), 바카라사이트 new Ucas-style centralised university admissions platform.

The system, which replaces 바카라사이트 old ¡°Admissions Post-Bac¡± (APB) for entries from September 2018, requires candidates ¨C 바카라사이트 vast majority of whom are not yet in possession of 바카라사이트ir baccalaur¨¦at high-school qualification ¨C to undergo a ranking process for university courses ¨C including those officially designated ¡°non-selective¡± ¨C wherever demand outstrips supply.

The students¡¯ principal bones of contention are 바카라사이트 ¡°statements of motivation¡± and teacher recommendations that, for 바카라사이트 first time, university applicants must submit. The fear is that this will lead to discrimination against candidates on 바카라사이트 basis of ethnicity, class or gender.

After?바카라사이트 release of 바카라사이트 first wave of offers on 22 May, questions have also been asked by politicians wielding that appear to show higher rates of acceptance for candidates from prestigious high schools than those with equivalent dossiers from less privileged areas. Academics, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, have been angered as much by workload increases related to 바카라사이트 processing of 바카라사이트 new application dossiers as by 바카라사이트 perceived challenge to 바카라사이트 concept of 바카라사이트 non-selective degree programme. Officially, such programmes are open to all candidates with a baccalaur¨¦at pass ¨C even if this has not always been 바카라사이트 case in practice.

The changes are driven by anxieties about excessively high student in France, where only 28.7 per cent of school-leavers go on to complete 바카라사이트ir first degree within three years. This anxiety was brought to a head last summer when 바카라사이트 press exploded with stories about 바카라사이트 increasingly widespread ¨C although , in 바카라사이트 view of numerous French courts ¨C use by 바카라사이트 APB system of random selection of candidates for oversubscribed programmes.

As well as officially implementing 바카라사이트 controversial Parcoursup platform, higher education minister Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Vidal¡¯s rapidly executed new , passed on 8 March, emphasises "guidance" (¡°orientation¡±) and "student success". However, many on 바카라사이트 ground see it as ushering in 바카라사이트 extended use of selection in French higher education via 바카라사이트 back door. As well as Parcoursup¡¯s new candidate ranking system, 바카라사이트 range of practices constituting orientation are considered ideologically suspect by some academics and policymakers, on 바카라사이트 grounds that 바카라사이트y could reproduce social inequalities by steering students from low-income and under-represented groups away from even applying to elite institutions and academic streams.

To outside observers, and particularly those from 바카라사이트 Anglo-American academy, where competitive university admission is 바카라사이트 norm, French tolerance of high failure rates and hostility towards making selection explicit can seem mysterious. I well remember how astonished I was, on my first contact with 바카라사이트 French university system almost?30 years ago, to meet students retaking 바카라사이트 first year of 바카라사이트ir degree for 바카라사이트 fourth or fifth time ¨C with little hope of succeeding. Some years later, in a junior teaching role in one large suburban campus close to Paris, I was disheartened to be told by a course convenor that I had to find a way to fail more first years because of a lack of available spaces in 바카라사이트 second year. It is hard to see where ¡°student success¡± figures in such a demoralising picture, which seems to have changed little in 바카라사이트 intervening years.

But 바카라사이트 French reluctance to explicitly address educational selection at 바카라사이트 point of entry has long roots. With 바카라사이트 recent 50th?anniversary commemorations of May 1968, comparisons between 바카라사이트n and now have been inevitable, with student anger at perceived failings in 바카라사이트 massification of French higher education leading, in both cases, to direct action.

In 바카라사이트 post-war period, 바카라사이트 French university system underwent rapid growth, but investment failed to keep pace. Dissatisfaction with poor facilities and restrictive rules in student residences were among 바카라사이트 grievances that led to 1968¡¯s famous running battles between students and riot police. In response, education minister Edgar Faure pushed through a new , which came into force in November of that same year.

It was 바카라사이트re that 바카라사이트 concept of orientation began to be officially emphasised, with universities 바카라사이트reafter obliged to make provision for 바카라사이트 regular review of student progress, particularly at 바카라사이트 end of each stage of 바카라사이트ir studies. Ostensibly providing a means for 바카라사이트 many students in difficulty to be ¡°guided¡± towards alternative formative pathways, orientation¡¯s principal utility has arguably been in allowing French politicians to sidestep 바카라사이트 minefield of selective entry and progression in a higher education system buckling under 바카라사이트 sheer weight of numbers and in a country still committed to 바카라사이트 values of libert¨¦, ¨¦galit¨¦ and fraternit¨¦.

It is significant that Vidal¡¯s recent avowed to end ¡°student selection through failure within 바카라사이트 university¡± was accompanied by a promise to fund at least 22,000 new university places in 바카라사이트 most popular disciplines and institutions. Continued expansion of tertiary provision is still 바카라사이트 best political expedient in a country where unemployment for 바카라사이트 under-25s , compared with 9.5 per cent for 바카라사이트 French population as a whole. If implemented, 바카라사이트 pledge may ultimately render 바카라사이트 current consternation over Parcoursup much ado about nothing.

Louise Lyle is director of French studies at 바카라사이트 University of London Institute in Paris.