In my humble opinion, France is a wonderful place to live. Steeped in history and culture, there is so much to discover. Beautiful countryside, amazing food and of course, so many cultural and historical sites. But, having lived here for over two decades, why do I still feel like a cultural leper?
I have to admit that history and the arts are not really my cup of tea, but this post is not really about that! I have been intrigued by the educational system in France for a long time, and the difference between this and my education. Once you start to question the pro’s and con’s of this, it opens up a debate about the ability of children, especially those with difficulties, to succeed in their chosen career path.
Let me explain …..
When i was a child, I followed the British education system, where at the tender age of 11 / 12 we started to have choices about the subjects we would like to study for GCSE’s. There are of course, some obligatory subjects, but if you have a tendency for languages, science, the arts etc you can choose subjects that allow you to excel. By the time you reach A levels or higher education, this is narrowed down even more to concentrate only on the subjects that are either required to continue your education in your desired field, or the subjects you excel at, giving you, in my opinion, a greater chance of success.
In France, right up until the Brevet, all subjects are compulsory and for children to be able to obtain their first level of education, they must have an overall average of 50%. This is not divided into separate subjects, and means that if a child has difficulty in one or two areas, it can dramatically affect there overall score. To me, this seems very harsh, as most kids are stronger in some areas than others, and many will be high achievers in some subjects, and low in others. The aim of the educational system in France is to have a very high level of general culture right the way through, and this still applies even when you are studying for a masters degree. You will continue to study a range of subjects, some of which are not directly related to the area of expertise you are looking to achieve.
Choosing a career
For example, those studying for a professional BAC (equivalent of A levels) in Business studies will continue to have compulsory modules of Languages (which you may argue is necessary in todays world for business), but also sport, history and philosophy to name a few. They must pass these modules to obtain their BAC. The same applies for a degree. If you are studying the equivalent of a masters degree in Biology for example, you will continue to cover a full range of ‘classes’ in language, sport, history and geography etc.
Take this example. My step daughter is 20. She would like a career in the Police Nationale. A very honorable choice, and we are of course, very proud of her. Having said this, she has not yet been accepted. The application process, is, as you would expect, very tough, and for 8000 applicants for this semester, there are only 400 places. What would you imagine are the criteria???? Just take the time to think about that for a moment!
I’m sure you have come up with a few ideas, which may include a physical fitness test and a psych exam of some sort. Possibly an interview with pertinent question relating to the suitability of the candidate to do the job, and test their decision making skills? Possibly a written exam to test the level for enforcing the law? Well, yes to all of this, but what came as a shock to me was the general culture questions and English exam!
Here are a few sample questions from the General culture exam.
In the 7th century, the impoverished Merovingian kings no longer had any authority. They were then known as?
a) Cursed
b) Lazy
c) Lax
In June 2022, the supreme court of the united states has?
a) reinstated the death penalty in all American states
b) given each state the freedom to ban abortions
c) lowered the age of majority to 17
The international eco-citizenship summit was held in June 2023 in?
a) New York
b) Paris
c) Montreal
Maybe its just that I am a cultural moron, but of the 40 questions, but I couldn’t find one “easy question”!!!! The English exam also consisted of 40 questions and some, I found a little ambiguous! For Example
Put the following events in the correct order
- The bank manager gives a statement to the police.
- The police arrive at the bank
- The alarm system is triggered
- The bank robber escapes in a waiting car
- The bank robber demands the money from the teller.
As far as I can tell, there are several possible orders, and no way to be sure which one they are looking for!!! If you have the answers to these, I would love to hear from you! I can only think that to become part of the Police Nationale, you have to be a cultural genius!
The level of general culture expected from French citizens is obvious when you look at the Livret du citoyen, which is the reference guide to “becoming” French! The values, rights and principles of being French are discussed at length, the organisation of the political system, economics, history and world status are all major subjects and you are expected to know historical and political French figures and the details of their contribution to the country. I dont think that I could answer any of these types of question about my country of birth, let alone here!
The point I am trying to make is that although some people might think that the level of education in France is inferior to that of their country of origin, in my opinion it is more balanced and encourages well rounded young adults to question their surroundings, life choices and political ideals constantly. For many years, I thought that being able to specialise in certain subjects at a young age allowed children to bloom and succeed, but having watched both my step daughter and my daughter grow up through the French system, see them taking and interest and having opinions about the world around them in a way only the French can do, I have learnt that at the ripe old age of 45 I am still an amateur at life, and I should take example from them in order to grow!
