Dimitri walked through the doors of Beaugrenelle high school in Paris on this Friday, relieved that the holidays were finally starting. As a 17-year-old final year professional management and administration student, he wasn’t particularly fond of school, feeling that many of the courses were unnecessary. However, he had plans to continue his education next year by enrolling in a BTS with the aim of obtaining a bac +2. He believed that a GA baccalaureate alone was not enough to find work as it did not cover everything he needed to know.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Education was launching working groups to upgrade professional baccalaureates and CAPs, which affected 40% of secondary school students in France. The focus was on aligning professional baccalaureates with more highly-rated technological and general paths and restructuring the curriculum to reduce the number of tests and assessments students underwent.
At Beaugrenelle high school, students were not entirely enthusiastic about these potential changes. Some felt overwhelmed by the workload and lacked time for homework while others questioned the need for general courses in a professional path. Many students, like Dimitri and his classmate Aliou, felt they had no choice in their educational path and were uncertain about their future options after completing their baccalaureate.
Despite these challenges and uncertainties, students like Dimitri and Aliou remained hopeful about their future prospects and hoped for better guidance in navigating their education and career paths. The proposed changes in the professional education system aimed to better prepare students for the workforce and provide them with clearer opportunities for further education.
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