The State assumes overall responsibility for educational policy. The Ministry of Education lays down guidelines for teaching, draws up the school curriculum and administers staff recruitment, training and management. It also determines the status and regulations of schools, allocating them their appropriate quotas of teachers and administrative staff.112
The Ministry of Education is responsible for education at all levels, from nursery education to university level, and for teacher training.72
In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries plays an important role in agricultural education, as do the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training with regard to vocational training, and the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Ministry of Culture and of the French Language in relation to the general organisation of educational activities for young people.23
The Ministry of Education comprises the following directorates: the directorate of administration (direction de l'administration, DA), the directorate of financial affairs (direction des affaires financières, DAF), directorate of judicial affairs (direction des affaires juridiques, DAJ), directorate of school education (direction de l'enseignement scolaire, DESCO), directorate of higher education (direction de l'enseignement supérieur, DES), directorate of administrative and technical personnel and management staff (direction des personnels administratifs, techniques et d'encadrement, DPATE), directorate of teaching staff (directorate des personnels enseignants, DPE), directorate of development and planning (direction de la programmation et du développement, DPD), directorate of communications (délègation à la communication, DELCOM), and directorate of international relations and cooperation (délègation aux relations internationales et à la coopération, DRIC).
Further information on the organisation of the French Ministry of Education is available in their online organigramme: http://www.education.gouv.fr/syst/organb.htm
Traditionally, the French education system has been extremely centralised. In 1982, however, when a law was passed transferring certain powers and responsibilities, which had previously been exercised by central government, to the local authorities,9 France began the process of decentralisation. This profoundly altered the distribution of power between central government and local authorities. At the same time, central government continues to guarantee the smooth operation of public services and cohesion within the education system. As a result of the 1982 law and a further decentralisation law of 1983,8 the role in education of the régions, départements and communes has significantly increased,23 although the State still assumes overall responsibility for educational policy.25
During the academic year 2002 to 2003, the Ministry of Education prepared proposals for the further decentralisation of educational administration. The proposals include giving schools greater autonomy. However, the State will remain responsible for establishing the curriculum, for the recruitment and management of teaching staff, qualifications and inspection of the education system. Further information about the reforms is available online at http://www.education.gouv.fr/thema/decentralisation/default.htm
Metropolitan France is divided into 22 régions, each containing between two and eight départements, which means that the country currently has 101 départements, 96 of which belong to metropolitan France and five of which are overseas. Départements are further divided into communes (local authorities, administered by the municipal council).26
In order to implement its education policy and management tasks, the Ministry of Education has 'external administrative' departments known as académies, with jurisdiction over a particular geographical area of the country. 25 There are 31 such académies (including those in metropolitan France and those overseas) each headed by a recteur acting directly on behalf of the Minister (of Education). A single académie covers several départements (smaller administrative areas), each managed by an inspecteur d'académie who runs the national education services provided for it by the Ministry. Within the overall system established at national level, schools are to some extent independent as regards their administrative and teaching activity and, at secondary level (collèges and lycées), their financial affairs too. In practice, this relative independence takes the form of a plan for each school, known as a 'projet d'école' or 'projet d'établissement' at primary and secondary levels respectively. 112
The system is supervised by several inspectorates. Two general inspectorates are entrusted with very broad responsibilities for evaluation. Furthermore, national education inspectors visit primary schools (écoles élémentaires) and monitor the performance of teachers, while 'regional inspectors of teaching activity' are responsible for assessing secondary school teachers in their particular subject.112
| Person responsible for education | Level of authority |
| Minister | National |
| Recteur | Regional (31 académies) |
| Inspecteur d'académie | 'Departmental', represents the recteur in the département |
The communes, départements and régions have powers in three main areas:
As in other forms of education, the control and management of pre-compulsory schools is divided between the Ministry of Education (central government) and local government, specifically the commune for pre-compulsory education. The Ministry takes care of training, recruitment, and teachers' pay and defines curricula. The commune looks after school premises and employs auxiliary staff like specialist infant teaching assistants ("agents territoriaux spécialisés de la maternelle").61
At the local level, primary schools (elementary schools/écoles élémentaires) are organised and administered by the communes, which have (amongst others) particular responsibility for building and maintenance. 23,26
Collèges (lower secondary schools), which are public-sector schools and have legal responsibility and financial autonomy, are organised and administered, at the local level, by the départements, which have particular responsibility (amongst others) for school transport and for maintenance and building. 23,26
Lycées d'enseignement général et technologique (LEGT) (general and technological lycées) and lycées professionnels (vocational lycées), which are public-sector schools with legal responsibility and financial autonomy, are the responsibility, at the local level, of the régions, which take care of building and maintenance and have considerable powers in respect of vocational training. In addition, the Ministry of Labour and the régions supervise vocational training outside the school system and regional councils organise annual apprenticeship programmes. 76,77
The system is supervised by several inspectorates. Two general inspectorates are entrusted with very broad responsibilities for evaluation. Furthermore, national education inspectors visit primary schools (écoles élémentaires) and monitor the performance of their teachers, while regional inspectors of teaching activity are responsible for marking and assessing secondary school teachers in their particular subject.112
Universities are public-sector education institutions which enjoy administrative, financial and academic autonomy. There are numerous other public- or private-sector higher education institutions attached to various ministries.23
In 2001, around seven per cent of France's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was spent on the education system. This amounted to an annual expenditure per primary school child of FF 28,300 (or 4,320 Euros). Annual expenditure per secondary school student in collège was FF 45,300 (or 6,910 Euros); for students in the lycée d'enseignement général et technologique it was FF 57,700 (8,790 Euros); and in the lycée professionnel FF 62,500 (or 9,530 Euros). Central government/the State contributes the largest proportion of this expenditure-around 60 per cent, followed by local government (20 per cent), parents/ households (seven per cent) and industry (six per cent). 160
Central government covers the cost of the salaries of teaching, administrative and guidance staff. However, the local authorities are now responsible for investment and operational expenditure; the regions for upper secondary education institutions - lycées, and regional institutions for special education (éducation adaptée) (EREA); the départements for lower secondary schools (collèges); and the communes for nursery and elementary schools.23 Collèges, for example, receive a lump sum grant from the local département which contributes towards the costs of maintenance and upkeep of buildings, heating etc. Most collèges also augment this grant by rent from making the school building/facilities available for evening classes and other activities. As teachers are classified as civil servants, their salaries are covered by the State (that is to say, central government) according to a national scale. Textbooks are paid for by a fixed subsidy which comes from the académie (the local arm of the Ministry of Education).74
In France, virtually the whole school population receives education financed by the State. Public-sector institutions provide schooling for around 86 per cent of children in primary level education (students aged 6-11) and 79 per cent of those in secondary education, while nearly all private schools (see below) have entered into a contract with the State, which involves the latter assuming responsibility for teacher remuneration and, in most cases, the functioning of the school.25
Private-sector education also exists in France. In this sector, families must pay school fees, which vary from school to school.23 In schools that have entered into a contract with the State (see below), the fees are not usually very high.25 Parents may freely register their children at this type of school, providing that places are available.112
The private sector is mainly composed of Catholic establishments, which have a contract with the State, which then provides them with significant financial support, including the cost of teachers' salaries and of their initial and in-service training. Private-sector institutions under contract (sous contrat) must adhere to the timetables and curricula applied in public-sector education and are subject to state supervision/inspection.23
Private institutions of primary and secondary education can sign a either a 'simple' or an 'associate' contract with the State, guaranteeing financial assistance from the latter in exchange for which state administrative and educational supervision is allowed. The simple and associate contracts differ in their terms of application. The simple contract is concluded for a minimum period of three years, while the associate contract is concluded for an indeterminate period. Furthermore, the simple contract applies only to elementary schools, while the associate contract may apply equally to primary and secondary institutions.26
Four conditions have to be met before a school can become sous contrat. These are:
A contract with the State gives private schools a number of advantages. The State pays the teachers' salaries and for their initial and continuing training. It offers surety for loans taken out for acquisitions, buildings or the equipment of school premises. It also funds the purchase of information technology and educational equipment required for the implementation of the teaching programmes in the sous contrat classes. Schools may also receive financial assistance from local authorities such as the commune, the département or the région, for operating costs, as surety for loans and for further purchases of IT equipment. This funding may not exceed the amount contributed by these bodies to state schools for which they are responsible. Moreover, it is discretionary for simple contracts.26
In exchange, the State exercises control over private schools. This supervision is administrative and financial, but above all educational. Private schools under contract with the State are bound to comply with national curricula and basic subjects taught, to use the school textbooks corresponding to these and to respect the general rules governing state school opening/lesson times/length of time per subject etc.26
In contrast to ordinary state schools, which are secular, private-sector schools under contract may be denominational. Such schools must, however, accept children of all faiths and respect their freedom of conscience. Consequently, attendance at mass, for example, cannot be made compulsory for students in such schools.12
Out of contract (hors contrat) private-sector schools also exist. This previously meant that such schools offered a curriculum not validated by the Ministry of Education, e.g. Montessori, Steiner.61 However, in a recent move designed primarily to protect children in hors contrat private-sector schools and those not being taught in school (see 3.1) from the influence of ultra-religious or sectarian groups, a law was passed in 1998 in accordance with which the Government can now determine the essential/basic knowledge that every child should acquire, regardless of where/how they are being educated.12
The majority of the school population receives education financed by the State. Public sector institutions provide schooling for 85.3 per cent of children in compulsory primary education (ages 6-11), and 79.4 per cent of those in secondary education. Nearly all private schools have entered into a contract with the State.112
The percentage of secondary school pupils educated in a private institution (with or without a contract with the State) has remained stable at 21 per cent since 1994.134
Currently around two out of ten collège students attend a private collège.130