“This is once again the record of Emmanuel Macron who has now been in power for 10 years in reality, we have the most unequal school system of all OECD countries, our students came last in mathematics in all the European Union”denounced the LR MEP François Xavier Bellamy, questioned on Tuesday April 26, on France Inter.
Does France have the most unequal school system in the entire OECD?
It’s pretty much true, but it’s far from new and, above all, there’s been some improvement in recent years. According to the latest PISA survey, which measures the level of middle school students around the world, France is not exactly last in the OECD, but it is indeed one of the countries with the worst achievement gap between the most disadvantaged and those from wealthier families. Only Israel and Luxembourg have worse results than us in this area.
However, this widening of inequalities cannot be attributed to Emmanuel Macron. This phenomenon has been under way since the 2000s, with “a worsening between 2000 and 2010“, explains education specialist Eric Charbonnier, analyst at the OECD. On the contrary, since 2015, even if they remain at a high level, inequalities between students have tended to stagnate rather than increase, completes the expert.
Did French pupils arrive last in the EU in mathematics?
The pupils of CM1 arrived last in Europe in mathematics if we take the results of the last TIMSS survey which specifically evaluates the performance of pupils in mathematics and science, throughout the world. But other assessments in mathematics exist. In the PISA studies, French pupils are much closer to the national average. In 2019, theFrance had 493 points in mathematics, while the OECD average was 489 points.
Nevertheless, all the studies show that the level in mathematics has been falling for several years. The explanations are much more complicated to advance. According to the SNES FSU union, the level of pupils must also be measured by taking into account the impact of the various structural reforms undertaken in National Education. However, their consequences are not always immediate, so it is difficult to say what is attributable or not to Emmanuel Macron in this matter, as François-Xavier Bellamy does.