News & Views item - June 2007

 

 

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, to Present Preliminary Draft, "Organisation of the New University". (June 22, 2007)

Valérie Pécresse, France's minister of higher education and research

    On June 19 Valérie Pécresse, France's minister of higher education and research sent copies of a draft of the law, which will be presented to the to the council of ministers on June 27, to French faculty unions and student associations.

 

President Nicolas Sarkozy is committed to revamp higher education, increasing the budget by 50 percent over the next five years, but with the proposed funding increase is the intention to challenge France's current egalitarian view of higher education. Currently, for example, 45%  of first year students at public universities fail while the universities they attend, like the Sorbonne, are grossly under resourced.

 

Jessica Montgomery writing for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers says it is expected that the new law will contain "stipulations to overhaul public universities' governance, including increasing presidents' power and enabling them to 'recruit contracting agents to fill teaching positions and scientific positions, after running it by the selection committee.' This is in stark contrast to the current extensive bureaucratic oversight and strict labour protections on university governance and the hiring process."

 

Michel Kaplan, former vice-president of the French Conference of University Presidents, is of the opinion that government funds should not be used to support students who are not equipped to undertake tertiary education , and restrictions on admissions are essential to elevate France's universities.