French universities have significant disparities in resources, staff, and student-to-teacher ratios, as highlighted in a recent study by the Conférence des Praticiens de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche. Sorbonne Université tops the list with €14,500 per student, while Rennes-II only has €5,400. These discrepancies were not always present in the French higher education system, which historically emphasized equality between institutions.
When did inequalities appear between French universities?
Initially, the Napoleonic reforms aimed for a centralized, nationwide public service model with uniformity in study conditions and funding for faculties. However, with the mass expansion in the 1960s, the government began to prioritize funding for science-based disciplines over humanities and social sciences, leading to initial cracks in the egalitarian system.
How did this egalitarian approach begin to crumble?
The 1968 Faure law restructured higher education into multidisciplinary universities, but the mergers often favored science-intensive disciplines. This resulted in disparities between universities, with science-focused institutions receiving more resources and support than others.
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