SDG4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

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Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Where does France stand ?

View the latest data on SDG4 indicators

Domestic challenges

There are numerous high expectations of the education system in terms of overall performance, the fight against inequality and professional integration.
France Stratégie has therefore identified ambitious objectives for national education over the next ten years by taking action on :

• defining the objectives assigned to schools ;
• the nation’s financial commitment to education - from early childhood to higher education - and how it is distributed ;
• the teaching provided at each level ;
• the organisation of the education system.

France is deeply committed to implementing SDG4. The French Constitution states that “the organisation of free, secular, compulsory public education at all levels is a duty of the State”.
Article L-111-1 of the French Education Code. states that education is the top national priority.
The public education service is therefore designed and organised with pupils and students in mind. It contributes to equal opportunities and to combating social and regional inequalities in terms of success at school and in education. It recognises that all children share the capacity to learn and progress. It ensures that the school population is socially mixed. It also ensures that all children are included in school, without distinction. In this way, it is called upon to ensure the success of all learners by defining a common framework and putting in place measures to provide differentiated responses to difficulties and disabilities of all kinds. Its aim is to ensure equal access to all levels of education for vulnerable children, including children with disabilities.

To guarantee success for all, the French education system is based on free, secular, neutral and freedom of education, as well as compulsory schooling for all children aged 3 to 16, whether French or foreign, living in France. The introduction of compulsory education from the age of 3 at the start of the 2019 school year confirms, on the one hand, the educational importance of nursery schools in the French education system, and reinforces, on the other hand, the decisive role of pre-school education in reducing inequalities from the earliest age.
90.9% of Year 13 students received their baccalaureate in 2023, a result that exceeds the target set by France of 80%.
In addition to basic learning and subject-based teaching, education and training at all stages of life is a pivotal lever for training, raising awareness, informing and encouraging people to take action for a sustainable society.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is essential for a better understanding of the relationships between environmental, economic and socio-cultural issues. ESD, which is essential to the success of the ecological transition, must be part of an integrated approach that aims to :

• Raise awareness among all those involved in the ecological transition (citizens, socio-economic players, political decision-makers etc.) of the mutual dependence of human societies, the challenges of sustainable development and the importance of solidarity on a global scale ;
• Give all these players the tools they need to understand complex issues, so that they can make informed decisions and take responsible action ;
• Encourage them to adopt coherent behaviour that is in line with the challenges of a sustainable society ;
• Adapt everyone’s skills to new, more sustainable modes of production and consumption, and to healthy habits for all ages.
  To achieve this, the French Agenda 2030 roadmap identifies 3 priorities :

1. Integrate sustainable development at the heart of the school system, from nursery school to higher education : school education, which is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16, is a key stage in shaping a generation of citizens fit for the world of the future.
2. Rely on education outside of the school system to change everyone’s behaviour, including continuous training : outside of the school system, there are many players working in the field of education, in particular education for the environment and sustainable development, or education for citizenship and international solidarity. The Agenda 2030 framework is perfectly suited to catalysing these initiatives.
3. Rely on education and training in particular to leave no one behind : education is an essential tool for breaking down the various forms of inequality and discrimination in France and abroad. Continuous training providers and French NGOs active in education in France and abroad are committed to this.

France’s actions

The "School of Confidence" sought by the government in 2017 is the national education policy aimed at ensuring that 100% of pupils have mastered the fundamental skills by the time they enter year 7 : a school in which all children, regardless of their social and regional origins, will know how to read, write, count and respect others by the time they enter secondary school.
These measures are accompanied by the implementation of six complementary components : artistic and cultural education that is accessible to all (in partnership with associations) ; a nursery school that is a language school ; enriching teaching at secondary school, consolidation of the baccalaureate ; upgrading the vocational route ; support for secondary school students in their choice of career path to higher education (in partnership with businesses and professional organisations from all sectors to increase young people’s knowledge of the economic world).

Ensuring that schools are as inclusive as possible for pupils with disabilities is a priority. At the start of the 2023 school year, more than 436,000 pupils with disabilities were enrolled in state schools. The National Disability Conference in April 2023 mapped out the outlook for the next three years. The aim is to improve the conditions under which pupils with disabilities are educated, the way they are monitored, the way families are welcomed, the links between schools and medical and social services, and the training of professionals. The 12 measures adopted will be implemented in close collaboration with families, associations and authorities.
One in three A-level students is a vocational school student. Since October 2017, the government has been tackling the vast task of reforming vocational training. France is committed to making the route more attractive as a means of integration and excellence, and as an ambassador for French know-how. The way in which the personal training account and the approved joint collection bodies work will have to be radically changed. Unprecedented resources and strong measures were introduced in May 2023 to continue the reform of vocational colleges.

The "Cités Éducatives" approach, launched at the end of 2018 as part of a working group organised by the Ministry for Territorial Cohesion, aims to intensify educational provision for children and young people, from birth to integration into the world of work, before, during, around and after school. The approach consists of a broad alliance of educational players in priority neighbourhoods of the urban policy : parents, government departments, local authorities, associations and residents. Through the Cités Éducatives approach, the government aims to bring together all those involved in schooling and extra-curricular education, in the areas that need it most and where public resources will be concentrated.

Additionally, France has implemented a national policy for widespread lifelong education and training in sustainable development : the 2004 Environment Charter, which has constitutional status, underlines the need for “environmental education and training” (article 8) and France’s roadmap for the Agenda 2030 makes this one of six priority issues (issue 3). National public policies include a section on education and raising public awareness (for example : Axis 3 of the National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 ; Axis 1 of the National Environmental Health Plan) and educational policy includes an obligation to educate students on sustainable development topics.

Education for sustainable development is taught in all areas of the French education system (general, technological and vocational), from nursery school through to the end of college. First included in the Education Code in 2013, the article dedicated to education for sustainable development was reinforced by the law of 26 July 2019 for a school of trust, and then by the Climate and Resilience law of 22 August 2021 which consolidated the school’s mission in terms of education for sustainable development. The subsequent circulars of 27 August 2019 and 24 September 2020 extend and strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in school curricula by making it compulsory to include sustainable development in every subject and to elect eco-delegates in every high school and college class (and on a voluntary basis in CM1 and CM2 [Year 5 and 6] classes). They also introduced the development of the E3D label (School/Establishment with a sustainable development approach) which recognises and encourages schools and educational establishments committed to a comprehensive sustainable development approach.
As a complement to the school system, the State also supports national schemes such as the Universal National Service, which since 2019 has offered young volunteers the opportunity to experiment and commit to a fairer and more sustainable society through cross-cutting content and activities set up throughout the dedicated team-building stays and days.
Finally, partnerships have been set up between the State and those involved in extra-curricular and popular education :

• the educational areas are small natural spaces managed in a participatory way by pupils, supervised by their teachers and an external organisation with environmental education expertise. The educational project is carried out by the class and the teacher throughout the school year. The educational area concept, which originated in French Polynesia in the Marquesa islands, now involves almost 1,000 schools and educational establishments. These practical educational projects are a way of supplementing school lessons by putting learning into practice in the field, taking concrete action to protect nature and experimenting with citizenship.
• With the financial or technical support of the State, provided through partnership agreements or calls for proposals, associations involved in education for sustainable development and popular education set up actions for a wide range of audiences of all ages : young people in schools or families, professionals and adult citizens, everyone is affected by changes in behaviour (see Action by non-state players).
  In addition, and among the various frameworks dedicated directly or indirectly to the implementation of SDG4, the following have been identified in particular :
• A policy dedicated to priority education
• Schooling for pupils with disabilities
• Equality for girls and boys, from nursery school to baccalaureate
• Digital strategy for education 2023-2027
• A policy to combat school drop-outs
• 12 measures to transform vocational colleges : training students for the careers of tomorrow
• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Internationally

The bilateral support provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) aims to help countries improve and manage education and training systems in order to reduce inequalities in access, particularly between girls and boys, improve teacher recruitment and training, develop quality education infrastructures, strengthen promising sectors and support economic, digital and environmental transitions.
France has a major position in the architecture of global aid to education : in 2023, it was the third largest education funder. In 2023, it dedicated €1.3 billion of its official development assistance to actions relating to the education continuum. Africa is the main beneficiary of French aid in the education sector.
France directly supports initiatives to strengthen French language learning in many countries, as well as innovative projects on key themes such as the inclusion and schooling of young girls. It is therefore working to define and implement sensitive education policies and budgets, in particular through the "Gender at the Centre" initiative launched under the G7 Presidency in 2019, which is present in eight pilot countries : Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mozambique.
France also supports global education through the multilateral channel, through its contributions to UN organisations, the European Union and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). At the fourth replenishment conference of the GPE in July 2021, three years after announcing its historic contribution of €200 million at the Dakar conference, France reiterated its commitment by announcing a new contribution of €333 million for the 2021-2025 period, making France the third largest contributor of the cycle.