26 May 2023

This column appears in “The World of Education”. If you subscribe to Le Monde, you can subscribe to this weekly letter by following this link.

This year again, the opening of the Parcoursup platform has given rise to its share of reactions aimed at French management schools. Renewed chance of the calendar? Fear towards these schools which are proving their robustness and their international recognition? Simple ignorance of the reality of the Grandes Ecoles? This is an opportunity for us to clarify things.

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Rather than opposing universities and high schools, it would be more useful to educate our young people to thwart the communication of those who promise mountains and wonders to students who, worried about their future, become easy prey. It is high time to invest massively in the guidance of young people in high school in order to allow a better match between the needs of local businesses and the aspirations of young people, and by giving them the tools to make informed decisions.

How many students confirm their choice of orientation thanks to the quality labels set up by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, yet visible on Parcoursup? Too many students are still unaware that training outside Parcoursup should be considered with the greatest vigilance.

At a time when high school students have to make their choice of orientation, let’s remember the added value of the great French management schools. Because attacking the quality of the Grandes Ecoles de Management members of the Conference of Directors of French Schools of Management (CDEFM) is to denigrate their recognition by the Ministry of Education and Research.

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The major management schools that are members of the CDEFM all issue at least a diploma equivalent to a master’s degree. It also means ignoring their quality, which is recognized internationally by accreditors (AACSB, EFMD, AMBA) and the press, while France remains the country that positions the most institutions (23) in the top 100 of the ranking 2022 from FinancialTimes.

An excellent employment rate

The major management schools that are members of the CDEFM attract thousands of students and teacher-researchers from all over the world each year who publish in the best journals and thus contribute to the influence of French higher education. They also send thousands of students on academic exchange, allowing everyone to benefit from a strong international network.

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