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The majority of French people believe that the education system is in full “decline”. But what is it really? Let’s take stock with Jennifer Plaud-Volante, elementary school principal.
Abandonment of courses, integration of digital, establishment of “inclusive” classes… In a few years, the school has radically changed. Just like the way the French look at the education system. They are also nearly 67% to think that it is “failing”, according to the results of a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Challenges.
The French school in decline?
For the majority of French people (60%), France is in decline – and school is one of them.
Thus, out of 10,020 French adults surveyed, 67% of them believe that schools do not work well in France, and 19% think that they work very badly.
Even in one of its most essential missions, namely the transmission of fundamental knowledge (reading, writing, counting), only 55% of French people consider that the school is truly effective.
Figures that do not surprise Jennifer Plaud-Volante.
“For several years, there has been a general decline in the level. In CP and CE1, children encounter more and more comprehension difficulties, especially in mathematics. But what concerns us the most is the lack of general culture. They don’t even know the tales anymore, like Little Red Riding Hood“, reveals the school principal.
While the respondents mostly agree on the observation of this “degradation” of the level of the pupils, they are on the other hand quite divided as to the causes: too many classes, content of the programs, lack of means… several phenomena are pointed out .
For 74% of them, the inertia of the State in the field of education nevertheless remains strongly criticized.
“Too many reforms are also a problem. Sometimes it is even the parents who inform us that a new measure has just been released. The other difficulty is the lack of teacher training: the reforms have been made, we have to apply them… but we are left in the dark. For example, children have recently had to do half an hour of sport a day. But how to integrate this additional activity? No response is given. It will therefore be unfortunately to the detriment of elementary subjects, such as maths or French.“, underlines the professor.
Improving the quality of education
Two measures stand out in the eyes of the French to improve the quality of education: reduce the size of classes (52%) and restore the authority of teachers (51%).
“Yes, the idea would be great to have twenty children per class at most. But in reality, we have 28 students per class – at least that’s the average in Ile-de-France. And yet, tests have shown that with 14 students per class the school level will skyrocket, in particular concerning the acquisition of the fundamentals (reading, writing, counting)“, confides Jennifer Plaud-Volante.
As for the French’s desire for “authority” (51% want sanctions against disruptive children to be taken), these desires contrast with current trends, advocating a “positive” and “benevolent” education.
“We no longer have the right to punish a child. Giving lines to a child or depriving him of recess is now prohibited. It is therefore difficult to make a child understand that this or that “stupidity” should not be repeated. At best, we have access to reflection cards and words in the notebook, which is not enough to fit some children, who continually push the limits“, says Jennifer Plaud-Volante.
Would the child-kings therefore have invaded the school? If the question deserves to be asked, the role of parents also needs to be questioned.
“Before, the school and the teachers were sacred, but that time is over”relates Jennifer Plaud who regrets, in the same way as the French respondents, the lack of “attractiveness of the teaching profession“.
And for good reason: long studies (bac + 5), meager salary, lack of recognition and almost non-existent professional development… Before complaining about our little ones, perhaps we should (also) worry about the fate of the profession.