President Sarkozy vs the Students Round One. (June 27, 2007)

    If French President Nicolas Sarkozy thought the dog days of summer would allow his legislation to revamp and resurrect France's decaying higher education system^{(1, 2)} to slide quietly through to enactment he has been disabused. A threatening summer student uprising, has caused him to take personal charge of marshalling the bill through the French parliament. Valérie Pécresse, his Higher Education Minister, and François Fillon, the Prime Minister have been sidelined, the boss will take charge.

According to The Times' Charles Bremner: "Students’ and teachers’ unions are planning protests of the kind that have repeatedly forced French governments to retreat if Mr Sarkozy tries to promote 'un-French' practices in higher education. These include entrance selection, fees, private funding and competition among universities."

The Associated Press reports: [French] Student leaders said they weren't being given enough time to have their say in the draft law. 'Events of recent days prompt large concerns among students and a feeling of anger,' the head of the influential UNEF student union, Bruno Julliard, wrote in an open letter to Sarkozy. 'I ask you, in the interest of our university system, to start real discussions and to open up the calendar for adopting the law.'"

As a consequence M Sarkozy agreed, and has delayed the bill's introduction by a week, until July 4, but Bruno Julliard retains his aggressive posture, "We are on the verge of a crisis" if the current law is not amended said on French-inter radio, "“Do not doubt our determination.”

Meanwhile the national student group, PDE, said, "reform for university autonomy is necessary today so that universities can become more reactive and more competitive. Nevertheless, the ministry should not forget what the audience for this reform is: the student community."

The Times' Bremner writes: "The main unions are furiously opposed, seeing autonymous universities as the 'Americanisation' of French traditions. 'They want to impose on us an antidemocratic system that will confiscate . . . the values of collegiality and equality,' Jean Fabri, the secretary-general of Snesup-FSU, the biggest lecturers’ union, said yesterday. 'The Government wants to set the universities in competition among themselves while relinquishing its responsibilities,' he said. 'It’s an aberrant and dangerous vision.'

A short fact sheet from The Times