French Education Minister Édouard Geffray Defends Budget Cuts

French Minister of National Education Edouard Geffray faced sharp questioning before the National Assembly’s cultural affairs and education committee over the 64 billion euro school education budget allocated in the 2027 finance bill. The spending plan includes an overall budget increase of 1.2 billion euros, yet it currently accounts for the elimination of 1,588 teaching posts. Minister Geffray defended the reductions by pointing to a sharp drop in student enrollment.

Budget Allocations and Enrollment Declines

The ministry’s funding framework for 2027 balances rising financial allocations against a shrinking student population across the public school system. Minister Geffray told lawmakers that the educational system will lose 180,000 students at the start of the upcoming school year compared to the current term, contributing to an expected total decline of 2.5 million pupils between 2018 and 2035 from an initial baseline of 12.3 million.

While the draft finance bill currently lists 1,588 fewer teaching positions, the minister maintained that following demographic trends strictly would have required cutting 9,600 posts. He stated that the administration aims to capture demographic dividends while maintaining improved staffing ratios across all grade levels. Outside of the teaching corps, the budget provides for the creation of 1,804 additional personnel posts.

Those non-teaching positions comprise 1,300 support roles for students with disabilities, 200 principal education advisors, and 304 medical and social staff members. The financial blueprint remains subject to ongoing debate as the government prepares adjustments to address wider student mobilization.

Legislative Criticism and Parliamentary Pushback

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum challenged the administration during the committee hearing, criticizing both the proposed cuts and the broader educational record of the past decade. Anne Genetet, a rapporteur for the ruling coalition, proposed preserving the teaching posts slated for elimination, a position echoed by fellow centrist lawmaker Laurent Croizier.

Opposition deputies used the session to voice stronger condemnations of government policy. Frédérique Meunier of the Right Republican party told the minister that his presentation felt identical to policies pursued over the past ten years. Roger Chudeau of the National Rally party denounced what he termed an educational shipwreck under the current administration, while Paul Vannier of La France insoumise called for a ten billion euro injection into high schools.

Votre discours m'a déprimée parce que ce que vous nous avez présenté est identique depuis dix ans.

Frédérique Meunier

Other parliamentarians criticized the executive branch for maintaining an approach characterized by inertia and detachment from student demands. Alexis Corbière argued that the government had engaged in a strategy of stalling while failing to respect parliamentary representation.

Upcoming Concessions and Ministerial Consultations

Minister Geffray announced during the hearing that the government would unveil initial measures on Monday to address nationwide high school protests. The upcoming announcements are expected to cover class sizes at the lycée level, teacher replacement protocols, the Parcoursup admissions platform, and student scheduling arrangements.

The minister plans to convene representatives from educational unions, regional authorities, and student organizations to present the first wave of decisions. Those agreed-upon changes will subsequently be translated into government-backed amendments and submitted to deputies for a vote within the framework of the 2027 finance bill discussions.