You know debate in France is going nowhere when these guys arrive
L'école Anglo-Saxonne? What does the even mean?
Best to let the socliast presidential candidate speak for himself. According to L"Express François Hollande said:
"Certains veulent dépenser moins, ils formeront moins, et nous perdrons des parts de compétition dans l'économe mondiale et nous aurons un chômage plus élevé", a-t-il poursuivi. C'est "vouloir l'école à l'anglo-saxonne", "un modèle libéral, hiérarchisé autour du chef d'établissement et où il y aura moins d'enseignants"
That is: a liberal model, with a powerful principal and less teachers?
Sarkozy has, of course, been replacing only half of the civil servants who retire, so Education Nationale's numbers--the largest in Europe--have been slowly declining. 70,000 posts out of more than 1,000,000. Hollande again promised to rehire teachers. (A promise he knows he can't honor given France's financial situation, but it sounds nice.)
Anglo-Saxon is code in France for everything English and American, which, when uttered by French politicians of the left often means something foreign and unspeakable. It's the one politically correct insult. And a lot easier than actually formulating an idea or plan. Google it and you will find fascinating articles, for example: Il a-t-il un complot anglo-saxon contre la Zone euro ? (Is there an Anglo-Saxon conspiracy agains the Euro Zone?)
The deep and worsening problems of France's education system merit serious debate, not silly name-calling, Monsieur Hollande.
Could do better.
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