L’école, incarnation d’une société à deux vitesses ? | 28 minutes | ARTE

Overview

The video discusses a growing “unequal society” reflected in France’s education system. It argues that worsening conditions in public schools, combined with extensive (but insufficiently transparent) state support for private schools, are fueling social segregation and encouraging families—especially those with the means—to “flee” public education for private options.

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Public School Deterioration and Teacher Unrest

In multiple major cities (Paris, Nantes, Marseille), teachers are described as participating in large demonstrations against conditions in middle and high schools. The protests are linked to:

• fewer teaching hours,
• program complexity,
• staffing shortages and overcrowded classes.

Key points highlighted include:

• Nearly half of teachers (per unions) say they are considering striking, reflecting repeated “unpleasant surprises” at the start of school years.
• A specific example from Cachan (Val-de-Marne) involves complaints from parents and teachers about staff shortages and overcrowding at Victor Hugo College, including large class sizes for 6th graders.

These pressures are portrayed as pushing families toward private education, which is seen as more reliable and higher-performing.

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Private Education Growing: Funding, Demand, and Regulation Failures

The video claims that even if France’s total student population may be declining, private enrollments are holding up or improving. Private institutions—including Catholic education—are reportedly remaining full.

A parliamentary report is cited as increasing tension among private schools due to alleged:

• lack of transparency in how public funds are allocated.

Estimates are given that around €10–12 billion may be spent on private institutions, contributing to segregation and raising the question of whether private education has become the “embodiment” of a two-tier school system.

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Why Public Schools Lose Appeal: Budgets, Pensions Accounting, Pay, and Working Conditions

Economist Julien Grenet argues that education spending is often “misleadingly” presented, including through accounting choices. He suggests that:

• international comparisons may overestimate per-student spending due to how pensions are financed,
• after adjustments, spending per student—especially in primary education—is allegedly lower than OECD averages.

He links this underinvestment (including low investment in primary education and salary competitiveness) to:

• reduced teacher attractiveness,
• staffing difficulties,
• declining morale.

A paradox is emphasized: many teachers say they love their job, yet large proportions consider leaving. This is attributed to deteriorating conditions such as:

• stagnation of pay progression mid-career,
• higher class sizes,
• and a general decline in the profession’s image/status.

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“Flight to Private” as Social Selection and Structural Segregation

Economist Olivier Babu frames private school success as connected to public school weakening. Private schools can function as a “leakage” channel that preserves the social elevator—or, for those left behind, interrupts it.

Marie Estelle Pêche argues that upper social classes increasingly abandon public schools for private options, intensifying inequality.

Grenet adds a key nuance: private enrollment ratios have not drastically changed since the 1990s, but what has changed is:

• the social composition of private schools (more privileged students),
• private schools concentrating more in large cities, where segregation is stronger.

A stark comparison for Paris is mentioned:

• private schools make up nearly 40% of schools,
• but disadvantaged students represent a much smaller share in private than in public (figures cited: about 3% in private vs 25% in public).

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Growth of Non-Contract “Free” Private Schools and New Inequality Risks

The video discusses the rise of private schools without contract (independent/free schools), described as expanding rapidly—from very few decades ago to around 2,600.

These schools are said to attract families through:

• educational diversity (e.g., Montessori, bilingual programs, outdoor learning),
• smaller class sizes (sometimes up to ~12 students).

However, the video warns that these schools:

• are substantially more expensive (about €2,600–€16,000 per year vs about €2,000 max for under-contract private schools),
• face limited oversight (mandatory inspection mainly in year 1, then recommended intervals depending on resources),
• may reproduce “islands of privilege.”

It also notes that these schools can be fragile and sometimes close, but closures receive less public attention than openings.

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Funding Debate: Transparency vs Calls to Reduce Subsidies

The video contextualizes viewer protests: after major demonstrations in the early 1980s, regulating or reducing funding for private schools is politically taboo.

Grenet argues the arrangement is “aberrant” internationally because public money supports private education without strong guarantees of:

• equal access and
• accountability.

Babu counters that cutting private subsidies wouldn’t necessarily save money; switching everyone to public education would likely cost more because private education is cheaper per student (~20% cited), given that families cover part of the expense.

Panelists broadly agree that the core issue is not only funding levels but also:

• lack of transparency,
• weak enforcement of equal access,
• and structural mechanisms that allow stratification to deepen.

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Conclusion: Regulation Failure and a Widening Gap

The discussion returns to its central thesis: saving private education while failing to address public system decline and governance failures risks widening the gap between sectors.

The video concludes that blaming private schools alone misses the broader issue—public policy choices (including loss of control and differentiation under a certain egalitarian framing) contribute to the public school crisis.

The demonstrations in Paris are presented as a symbol of national “unease,” and the panel frames the political challenge as preventing segregation from becoming the default outcome of education policy.

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Presenters / Contributors

• Julien Grenet — Economist, CNRS research director, associate professor (Paris School of Economics)
• Olivier Babu — Economist, president/founder of the Sapiens Institute
• Marie Estelle Pêche — Editor-in-chief of the society section at Marianne
• François “Bairou” / François Bayrou — mentioned in the commentary (former Prime Minister and Minister of National Education)