Education System in France

As stated in the article titled Education for All on the UN site, education is not only a right,
but a passport to human development. I think it is important to keep this in mind for all
countries included in the United Nations because it keeps all countries equal for the most part
with their educational systems. Also stated in the Education for All article are the six
Education for All (EFA) goals, along with the eight millennium development goals.
The six EFA goals are as follows:
Goal One: Expand early childhood care and education
Goal Two: Provide free and compulsory primary education for all
Goal Three: Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults
Goal Four: Increase adult literacy
Goal Five: Achieve gender parity
Goal Six: Improve the quality of education
The eight Millennium Development Goals are as follows:
Goal One: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal Two: Achieve universal primary education
Goal Three: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal Four: Reduce child mortality
Goal Five: Improve maternal health
Goal Six: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal Seven: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal Eight: Develop a global partnership for development
These goals are made and kept to the standards of countries because education is very
important and has many positive effects on childrens lives. Education for All mentions a few
positive aspects of education. Some of these include the reduction of child mortality, the
promotion of gender equality, and many others.

Because France is a part of the United Nations, they are expected to follow these standards.
According to primary and secondary schools in France, France has one of the more successful
educational programs in the world. Like it is stated in Goal Two of the EFA goals, France has free
and compulsory education for all children from the ages of 6-16. Even though the only free and
compulsory education in France is from ages 6-16, over 50% of 18-21 year olds are still enrolled
full time in school.
There are five different types of schools in France, 3 of which are compulsory and free. These
three schooling programs are Ecole primaire for kids ages 6-11, College for kids ages 11-15 and
Lycee for kids 15 and older. The other two types are known as Ecole Maternelle and Lycee
professionnel.
The first schooling that children will most likely attend would be the ecole maternelle which is
also known as preschool or kindergarden. This schooling program will take kids between the
ages of 2 and 6. These kids will be prepared for grade school with a curriculum consisting of
reading, writing, numeracy, and occasionally foreign language. The children will have three
classes throughout the day in ecole maternelle.
The second schooling children must attend is known as Ecole primaire for kids ages 6 to 11. The
students will have 5 classes throughout the day, and the curriculum will consist of literacy and
numeracy, arithmetic, geography and history, arts, and more foreign language, most likely
English.
The third schooling that students must attend is called as college, but better known as middle
school. This will be set for children between the ages of 11 and 15. The curriculum in college is a
little more intense than in ecole primaire, with college consisting of several subjects, some
including history, civic eduation, physical education, science, at least one foreign language, and
different maths. Students are expected to take 4 classes a day.
The fourth schooling that students are required to attend is called lycee, also known as high
school. The main goal of lycee is to prepare students for the baccalaureat exam. The
baccalaureat exam is an exam of the basic units that are covered in school. Students either pass
or fail, with no in between. In order to pass the exam a student must receive at least 10/20.
After students have completed these years of lycee, they are finished with their mandatory
schooling and have to option to continue onto lycee professionnel, also known as college or
vocational high school.



Primary & secondary schools in France. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2014, from http://about-
france.com/primary-secondary-schools.htm
Education for All (EFA). (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2014, from
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/efa/