We know that these ‘rankings’ are closely monitored by the students’ families, which is deplored by the Federation of Parents’ Councils (FCPE) of Haute-Garonne, which deplores the creation of a real ‘school market’.
Do you think these types of success indicators provide families with the right information?
Eric Pinot, President of FCPE31 : The problem is that we don’t really understand these indicators… At the FCPE (Federation of Parent Councils) we think they are a bit vague, not very clear. We expose added value and it is true that this term poses a problem. In addition, National Education communicates these results quickly to the press and the first thing we do is rank rankings; even the ministry makes rankings. We rank the worst and best colleges, which can influence institutions’ projects and policies. To me they are sick achievements.
Are there perverse effects associated with rating companies in this way?
We are not against performance, but we are introducing indicators that create a school market and that is contrary to the values of the Republican agreement as we know it. The goal of parents is that there is as much equality of opportunity as possible everywhere.
Also read:
Secondary and high school results 2023: all figures in detail in Toulouse and Haute-Garonne
Could this harm equal opportunities?
We know very well that there are differences between educational institutions, we are not naive, but if you list these indicators and you ensure that institutions are classified, you put in a performance indicator that is made for parents to receive messages to do! This is what I regret.
What do they reveal?
When we look at this IVAL and IVAC, we realize that two-thirds of REP+ (priority education network plus) colleges have the lowest averages, while colleges in privileged neighborhoods are rated the highest. It’s always a bit the same, so what is the real purpose of this IVAC and IVAL?
Do you think nothing is being introduced based on these indicators?
Not really no, we spend our time saying that France is not at the level, but do we introduce statistics that tell us where to invest and what policies to implement to try to work as much as possible on equality of opportunities? No. Conversely, the government makes classifications to develop a two- or three-level school.
But parents are sensitive to it, right?
Yes, if parents are okay with looking at these rankings, that’s their business, but it’s serious about coexistence and the French education model. For us at the FCPE, these IVAL and IVAC contribute to the creation of the education market.
We see that it serves the private sector… For example, in Toulouse, in the Saint-Cyprien district, there are two secondary schools opposite each other, we see that they have a lower IPS (social position index) than the neighborhood average, you know you why? Well, because across the street is Emilie-de-Rodat, a private school where there is a concentration of privileged students. We can understand that given the state of public schools, families would like to send their children to private schools, but they quickly realize they don’t have that option.
Is public school no longer sufficient?
The problem is that we lack resources and teachers, and this is not the fault of national education professionals, but of the decision makers. They’re killing public schools, but it’s the melting pot of republican values and coexistence… The government is selling out. The school needs an emergency investment plan, if the IVAL and IVAC could be used for this, that would be positive!