Is it possible to halt the decline of education in France ?

The results of OECD’s latest Pisa rankings have sounded like a thunderclap for France. Decline in French pupils’ performances in the main subjects surveyed since the previous study are impressive. Although within the OECD average, France came 26th in mathematics and 29th in reading comprehension. The impact of Covid-19 on education was of course significant for all countries, but this cannot explain everything, as countries such as Singapore, Korea and Ireland have continued to make progress. The reasons for this include: a shortage of teachers affecting two out of three schools, a severely deteriorated disciplinary climate, a cruel lack of financial resources for public education, and a still marked social determinism.

To halt the decline, several measures were introduced, including the introduction of level groups at college (middle school), doubling classes in CP (1st grade), lifting the taboo on the subject of repeating a year, now at the teacher’s discretion, summer courses for pupils with difficulties run by volunteer teachers, and uniforms. At a time when the “Singapore method” is so popular, how can education once again become one of France’s strengths? Are teachers fully equipped to do their job? Is national education threatened by the liberalization of public services?