Education in France

Education in France

France is a nation focused on culture. It is in many ways the "cultural capital of the world". France has always been an inspiration for many artists. Due to its strong culture and other moral factors, France is a country afraid of change and its education system is subject to this fear. In France today, the education system is very similar to what it has been in the past. As other nations take steps to reform and improve their educational facilities France must be willing to follow or they will be left behind.

In France the education system is run by the state, it is supported by the state and is therefore basically free. During a French education, emphasis is placed on the transfer of knowledge. This approach is different from the U.S. where the emphasis is placed on showing the excitement of learning and how the child can find information for him or herself. As in the U.S., education is separated into levels that must be passed in a sequence to go on.

There are 5 levels of education in France. The first level is called Creche. The Creche is the equivalent of daycare in the U.S. The age range for the Creche is from birth to 3 years. The Creche's purpose is to prepare young children for the next level of education. After students complete their last year in the Creche they move on to the Maternelle. The Maternelle is the second level of education and is for children 3 to 5 years old. It is comparable to preschool in the U.S. (Lect. Notes #4 Sp.99). This level of education is when students are first introduced to education. After students successfully complete Maternelle they will move on the next step in their education called the Elementaire. The Elementaire lasts for 6 years so basically from the time children are 5 until they turn 11 they are in Elementaire. This level of education is similar to elementary school in the U.S. This is when students form bonds with other students and begin to learn what it takes to go forward in their education. After completing Elementaire students move on to the next level called Secondaire. Secondaire consists of two stages first is College and then Lycee. College is the same as middle school in the U.S. and students attend for 4 years. This is when students begin to form their personality and start noticing the opposite sex. Students also begin to explore...

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...France the only way to achieve your goal is to earn a degree. While education is important in France, it must be reformed to stay competitive with other nation's educational systems.

France now boasts the highest young unemployment rate among all other European countries. For this reason France must reform its current education system. In order for France's education system to be reformed, it must change. This is a problem for a nation who doesn't accept change very often. In 1998 France's minister of education found a way to fix the dated educational system. He allocated 730 million dollars to improve the educational system over the next four years. The minister hopes this money will lower the young unemployment rate in his country.

Overall France's education system is very similar to the US's. The major difference is that France places much more emphasis on the transfer of knowledge while the U.S. tries to teach children how to learn on ones own and the excitement of learning. As education has advanced throughout the world, France's fear of change has caused this nation to fall behind. With new improvements France's educational system will regain its power and integrity.