Revolving door at French education ministry leaves school reforms in doubt

France has had four ministers of education in the last two and a half years, and may well get another one under newly appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier. In a country where the central government largely decides what happens in schools nationwide, the turnover has led to considerable uncertainty for pupils and teachers alike.

France's recent political crisis, which left the country without a prime minister for months following snap elections earlier this summer, has added to the upheaval in French education policy after a rotation of four ministers in two school years.

At the start of this new term, the caretaker government was tasked with implementing some reforms and suspending others, all while facing budget cuts and a shortage of 3,000 teachers.

Tension between ministers

Outgoing Education Minister Nicole Belloubet is not on board with all of the reforms introduced by Gabriel Attal, who held her post from July 2023 to January of this year, when he was appointed prime minister.

The tension between the two was made clear Monday when each decided to visit a different school on the first day of class, an appearance the education minister usually makes accompanied by the premier.

Belloubet is tasked with overseeing the implementation of several reforms that were introduced by Attal, including the introduction of level groups for French and maths students in middle school.

Unpopular plans

Belloubet has tempered the reform, saying it will bring in “needs groups” instead of the “level groups” initially announced.

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