Paris, July 15, 2024
The new political landscape expected to emerge in France, given the results of the recent elections, is likely to impact the development and funding of public and private institutions in the medium term.
It is important to highlight that in the program of the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), which won the majority in last Sunday’s election, higher education is not heavily emphasized, except for the abolition of Parcoursup and the focus on free access to university for all without selection.
The abolition of Parcoursup could advantage private institutions, currently not present on the platform, by leveling the playing field between public and private institutions. However, free access to university for all without selection should be coupled with a reflection on the job market needs to facilitate the integration of young people and would also imply a massive increase in university funding.
Primary and secondary education, on the other hand, is more prominently featured in the NFP’s program, particularly regarding secularism, the safety of students and teachers, reducing class sizes, and increasing resources and educational content. The funding of private secondary institutions would be linked to their ability to integrate more diversity. The number of teachers would be massively increased, as more than 3,000 positions, or over 12%, remain unfilled for the 2024 school year.
However, some fundamental issues of concern to the sector are not addressed, such as maintaining the funding levels for apprenticeship contracts. If these funds were to be significantly reduced, the capacity and willingness of companies to cover the remaining costs would need to be questioned.
What should be the role of vocational training in a rapidly changing job market? Are the recent provisions regarding the validation of prior learning sufficient to match supply and demand?
Will the government’s proposed labeling of private institutions truly clarify the current array of available training programs? Will it complement all existing accreditations, which can be administratively burdensome for medium-sized institutions?
Should we expect major changes in the higher education sector? Probably not immediately.
The start of the school year in September may help clarify some of these questions and shed light on the operational performance of private higher education institutions in light of a declining performance in 2023.
We are available to continue these discussions and answer any questions,
The Education & Financial Training Team at Courcelles
Guillaume Piette, Antoine Mainini, Florence Raveau, Philippe Cattelat