France Education

In Europe the UN has set forward three initiatives that outline the priorities of

education standards in the different countries. These three standards include putting

every child in school, improving the quality of learning, and fostering global citizenship.

France as a country has excelled in these areas and have made sure to put emphasis

on these three initiatives. France not only makes sure that every child has access to a

free education but they make sure that their education is evolving with the world around

it.

If you are living in France your child will have access to a free and quality

education. The quality of learning in France has been considered high. In France your

child is enrolled in Primary school, Middle school, and then High school. Unlike some

countries nursery school is option but is offered free of cost. This is a help to children as

it can get them started learning early and has been proven to be very beneficial. Higher

education in France also comes at little to no cost as they are publically funded. France

has a high retention rate for students after high school graduation because not only do

the classes not break the bank but they are quality.
Education in France: This image shows an overall view of the education system in France. It
gives a diagram of its education system and some quick facts including showing just how many
students are in Universities.
When it comes to improving the quality of learning France is the frontrunner in

quality education. They have a reputation of having one of the best education systems

and are constantly reforming to make it even better. Back in 2015 a reform was

proposed by the government to change the middle school system to give everyone a

fair chance at educational opportunities. This reform did not come across well with the

public but encouraged techniques that wouldve helped many students such as teaching

modern languages and history and encouraging teachers to work together to teach

interdisciplinary classes. France has a very strict regime when it comes to the education
that happens within a school day. Most schools dont expect the children to have fun

and most sports and extra activities are planned outside of the school system.

In France the main push for fostering global citizenship comes from the AFS.

They provide educational programs to people of all ages and backgrounds including

those who arent necessarily in school anymore. They provide youth organizations to

high school students along with opportunities to study abroad. They propose that

schools sign a charter that will help their program become incorporated with the

institution. One thing that they advocate for is including foreign students in the

classroom. They believe that this allows for a new window to be open and for students

to learn about different cultures and new information from around the world.

AFS School
Zone Reach: This image shows exactly what areas AFS effects and where they have schools
that are using this program to boost global citizenship.
The problem with AFS is that they only work with schools in less than half the school

regions of France. Fostering Global Citizenship beyond this program isnt very prevalent

in Frances education system. Most school will require students to learn a different

language and some school may gain a foreign exchange student but there are no

country wide program to foster global citizenship.

France overall is a country that has its positives and negatives for its education

system. They do very well at meeting the first two initiatives that the UN has set forth.

They do very well at putting every child in school and retaining them. They also have

made strides in improving quality of education yet they lack in fostering their global

citizenship. The AFS is a great program that can help improve what is lacking in that

area and more schools should entertain the idea of allowing them to incorporate with

their system.

Citations:
 Expatica. (June 2015). A Guide to French Education. Retrieved April 06, 2017,
from http://www.expatica.com/fr/education/Education-in-France_101147.html

Magaziner, J. (08, September 2015). Education in France. Retrieved April 06,

2017, from http://wenr.wes.org/2015/09/education-france

The Three Priorities. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/gefi/priorities/

AFS in Your Area. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://afs.fr/afs/contact/#afs-nav-

afs-dans-votre-region

AFS Partner of the National Education. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from
http://afs.fr/education/education-nationale/