“Our education system was and still is today one of the best in the world. However, it is now experiencing new problems, which have been consistently denied as a result of both political point scoring and a lack of courage. By the end of primary school, too many children have not mastered well enough the basic skills of reading and writing which would allow them to succeed at secondary school. Too many teachers rightly complain of rudeness, of violence, of the heterogeneity of their classes, or of a lack of motivation on the part of the pupils. Dare we suggest that the true reasons for these indisputable difficulties actually come, for the most part, from the school itself ? What is the solution ? How can teachers be helped to do their best so that their pupils perform better ? For the last few months now, Claudie Haigneré, Xavier Darcos and myself have began to implement the reforms which are so urgently needed. They concern us all, and it is therefore imperative that we all participate in this debate.”
Luc Ferry