“There is an opacity, a form of omerta, almost a taboo in France”, denounced Tuesday April 2 on franceinfo Paul Vannier, La France Insoumise deputy for Val-d’Oise, co-rapporteur of the parliamentary mission on public financing of private education under contract. In France, one child in six is educated privately under contract. The LFI deputy and his Renaissance colleague Christopher Weissberg submit their report on Tuesday. Paul Vannier denounced “drifts” and a lack of control of this financing. “It’s the government’s fault, there is a major failure, which has been identified”, he said. According to him, the state’s billions “subsidize school segregation mechanisms”. The LFI deputy also proposes to “penalize private establishments which contribute to segregation by withdrawing certain resources from them”.
franceinfo: What are these abuses? ?
Paul Vannier: No one is able to tell us what the total amount of public spending is devoted to these private establishments under contract. There is an opacity, there is a form of omerta. There is almost a taboo in France on this subject.
However, in the report, National Education gives figures: 13.8 billion euros in 2022 spent on private education, 10.4 billion in total in public money. They are not precise enough?
We have figures that are close, but there are many expenses that are not taken into account, others that are underestimated. There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of euros that are not included in the calculation.
“This financing system is globally out of control.”
Paul Vannier, deputy La France Insoumiseat franceinfo
The financial control of establishments, which is, in principle, provided for by the education code, is not ensured. Today it would take 1,500 years for all private establishments under contract to be audited and for us to be able to trace the use of public funds to see if it truly corresponds to what is provided for by the texts.
Where does this lack of control come from? Have you noticed any fraud?
It’s the government’s fault. There is a failure which is major, which is identified, which is known due to lack of means, but also due to lack of will. This lack of control authorizes and makes possible fraud and embezzlement.
“Many actors described to us at least four mechanisms of embezzlement.”
Paul Vannierat franceinfo
Teaching hours which are declared, which are paid from public funds, but which are not insured. The diversion of the municipal package is a contribution which is paid by the municipalities and which can be used to finance expenses which are prohibited by law. We can think that this municipal package finances investment, which is precisely what the law prohibits. Many actors have described these phenomena to us, but, as part of our mission, we have not been able to verify their extent. Only one thing is certain: the system, out of control, as it is today, systematically makes these abuses possible.
What are you asking of the government?
Private education is diverse, very heterogeneous, but today we must fundamentally review the methods of its financing because these billions of euros of public money, 10, 11, 12 billion perhaps, basically subsidize, mechanisms of school segregation which have never been so pronounced in our country.
What is this segregation linked to?
This is linked to a dynamic which leads private establishments to welcome students from the most advantaged backgrounds. The Court of Auditors says that between 2000 and today, the share of students from the most advantaged CSPs increased from 20% to 40% and that segregation has worsened significantly. Today, it is widespread. Even regions like Brittany, for example, which have until now escaped this type of dynamic, are affected. We must act. We are at a sort of crossroads. If nothing is done, we could have a two-speed system that takes hold permanently. I propose, for example, introducing a penalty system to penalize private establishments which contribute to segregation by withdrawing certain resources from them.
You personally propose a financial penalty for the establishment which excludes a student in difficulty. For what ?
I also think of the students of these establishments, of the families who send children to private establishments. Some of these establishments, not all, practice eviction, the elimination of the most difficult students in order to display success rates for diplomas, baccalaureates and certificates. From this point of view, there is a misuse of public money. These establishments are more than 75% financed by public funds and when they get rid of students in difficulty, they are not doing their job. They should be penalized for this.
“I am proposing a lump sum of 10,000 euros which must be reimbursed to the State for each student excluded due to academic difficulties.”
Paul Vannierat franceinfo
Do you have examples of schools that are not respecting the contract?
The Stanislas College is absolutely edifying, the famous Parisian establishment which educates the children of ministers. Literally, this establishment is trampling on its contract and trampling on the Debré law. There is a report from the general inspection which tells us that at Stanislas College, students’ freedom of conscience is not respected. What we see is that the prefect has not addressed this situation while the General Inspectorate says that the contract is not respected. However, it is maintained and public funding continues to be paid. We can really question today the value of these contracts. The Court of Auditors, moreover, tells us that in 21% of cases, establishments no longer have the contract at all. He literally disappeared. Nobody has it, because they are ancient. They were taken in the 1950s. Neither the establishment nor National Education has them. And yet, public funds continue to fall into the establishment’s coffers every year. This is a situation that seems very abnormal to me.
Should we review the Débré law which dates from the 1950s?
We must maintain a system that allows private establishments to be contracted. But we must review the method of financing to fundamentally introduce the logic of transparency, democracy, justice and equality into the system.
Do you want to reignite the school war?
School warfare does not exist. On the other hand, there is a resignation of public authorities to do their job, to control, to provide compensation to private establishments under contract. There is an explosion of inequalities, a collapse of public schools. This is what we urgently need to respond to today, if we want to achieve social cohesion, if we want to keep in mind the future of our country.