The sages of the rue Cambon invite in particular the signing of contracts of objectives and means between the private establishments and their respective rectorate.
In a report published this Thursday by the Court of Auditors and which franceinfo was able to consult, it considers that “relations between the State and private establishments under contract must be thoroughly renovated”it recommends several measures to promote more social diversity in private education.
The observation is clear, the private establishments are less mixed than those of the public. The sages of rue Cambon recommend, for example, having contracts of objectives and means signed between the 7,500 private establishments and their respective rectorate with the idea of asking the academies to distribute the means allocated by the Ministry of Education. , or eight billion euros per year. In the absence of administrative and financial control, there is nothing to conclude that public funds are properly spent in establishments, believe the wise men of rue Cambon.
Insufficient association contracts
The Court of Auditors recommends distributing this sum “according to the profiles of the students” in every school, college and high school. In short, the more private schools take in underprivileged students or students with average academic results, the higher the check will be. Since 1959 and the Debré law, private establishments under contract have signed an association contract with the State, but in which the objective of social diversity is not clearly stated. For the Court of Auditors, it is necessary to “fix” in the contracts of objectives and means the figures to be achieved in terms of social and educational diversity.
The idea is to ensure that the State which finances these establishments intervenes much more than today. This is a report that does not go in the same direction as the measures announced 15 days ago by the Minister of National Education. In the memorandum of understanding signed between Pap Ndiaye and Catholic education, in 95% of private establishments today, the State does not distribute the means between the establishments. It continues to hand over to representatives of private education. Private establishments are just committing to redistribute the budget by taking greater account of student profiles.
Twice as many favored students in the private sector
Private colleges and high schools receive on average almost twice as many advantaged and highly advantaged students as their public neighbours. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Education, this is a trend, a gap that has been widening for twenty years. This is the consequence, according to the Court of Auditors, of barriers to entry into the private sector. Some popular establishments require a cover letter. A requirement that creates self-censorship and therefore can hinder applications.
There are also and above all, tuition fees, on average, 450 euros per year in primary school, 1,200 in general high school. This financial obstacle could be overcome by families with few means, according to the report of the Court of Auditors. These families can receive scholarships, or aid managed, as in the public, by the establishments themselves. But often, they are not aware of their existence. The Court of Auditors notes that they are rarely displayed on the websites of private schools, colleges and high schools.
There is a necessary communication effort which is recognized by Pap Ndiaye. The ministry and Catholic education will create a database accessible to all where we will find this information: tuition fees, reductions and possible aid. Private schools, colleges and high schools are also encouraged to modulate tuition fees, according to family means. One in three establishments does so today. The objective is to increase this ratio to one in two within five years.