Hello,
Today I wanted to share with you this very interesting article by Frederick Muni LeMonde.fr
It happens not week for the academic year without the media will echo the crisis in our higher education system. Concerned, the preparatory classes and large schools, temples supposed elitism and conservatism of all. The debate raised is too important to be treated as it has been so far. It is urgent to defuse these issues by addressing them head on and as pragmatically as possible.
Consider first the most common criticisms of the "prep". Cost, first. A student preparatory classes "cost" about 13,880 euros per year, against 8970 for his homologue of the University, 50% more. Still need to know what those numbers. They are calculated on the basis of a division between the budget and the number of students said. However, as the losses are marginal in "preparation", as they are strong at the university, especially in the first round, where failure rates are around 40%. If these amounts are recalculated based on the actual number of students present in January, for example, it would significantly raise the unit cost of university education. For the rest, it is due to mechanical reasons, including the number of hours courses taught in "preparation" before each student (approximately thirty hours per week) and by the system glues, these oral examinations whose pace is very common. This powerful educational tool - caricature his critics in cramming as they have forgotten how higher education needed strong pillars - has a price, but he achieves astonishing results: regular acquisition of knowledge, life skills intellectual, better control of speech, etc.. Basically, the system is by what is virtuous teachings density, frequent assessment and intellectually demanding. Should we remove this works or rather be inspired?
The other most common criticism concerning the preparatory classes and, a fortiori , large schools is their social elitism. The proof is that the class children are less represented than in the 1950s. Paradox if we think at the time only allowed for high schools from 5 to 10% of age group, against 60% today. Unless, specifically, mass and decrease the level of requirements that accompanied it have produced this situation. For more requirements falling, the more working class children suffer And their family can not actually compensate for the loss of knowledge and skills taught at school in the past, particularly in the field of culture and language proficiency. In short, do not be mistaken for reform: it is not addressing the preparatory classes that we will remove the logic of exclusion, on the contrary. Preparatory classes, through their intensive multidisciplinary today contribute more to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps that the various reforms of the secondary helped produce. So should we remove that which contributes to a minority of course, to remedy a crisis or be inspired for the majority?
now comes the issue of a possible approximation of preparatory classes and universities, as some would like. Freed of dualism which weakens, the University would cease to be a "relief vehicle" as many academics complain. However, if such a convergence process was to begin, we should ensure that it does not resemble a simple annexation, even worse, at a dilution of "prep" in universities. Instead, it is imperative to keep ensuring that makes the secret preparatory classes: work intensity education. Students for competitions provide a remarkable effort that requires them to average more than fifty hours per week. It is striking that our society admits that elite athletes had to make intense and permanent, while the formation of advanced students could do without a thorough job, requirements for oneself, readings, personal reflection ... As teachers of preparatory classes, correspondingly, they are bound under the same work, it is an art in itself, which has nothing in common with that of teachers-researchers which, against a low load educational dedicated to knowledge formation. Also those who meditate an attachment should they have in mind that the specificity of the work "prepared" also implies a special status for its teachers.
For us, it will be understood, it is the model of "prep" that could save today undergraduate and not the reverse. After all, a solid, interdisciplinary, provided by general high-level and senior academics could be the tool of sustainable reform and compelling, a reform that would give rise to "university colleges" delivering the license. After three years, students of tomorrow could then move toward that larger schools, which to a professional master, which to research. Would not this the perfect articulation of education, research and training? In short, a happy marriage rather than a forced marriage. But will he that the government has the courage to draw the necessary budgetary consequences. If you want quality students must pay the price. Recall that, unfortunately, France has long been settled in this debate since it provided 1.3% of GDP on higher education, against 2.9% for United States ...
Frederick Munier is professor of history, Professor ECS preparatory classes at the Lycée Saint-Louis in Paris.
Find this article on LeMonde.fr at the following address: http://www.lemonde.fr/opinions/article/2010/02/11/les-classes-preparatoires-modele-possible-de- l-education-higher-per-frederic-munier_1304062_3232.html
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