Opaque financing, underestimated expenses, insufficient controls… the financing of private schools highlighted in a report

Le rapport est signé par Christopher Weissberg, député Renaissance des Français de l’étranger et Paul Vannier (LFI). ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – Belloumi

A parliamentary report presented on Tuesday April 2 to the National Assembly points to a lack of transparency and visibility regarding the total public budget allocated to private education.

While the public is in the street – teachers were mobilized this Tuesday April 2 for a new day of strike against the reform of the "clash of knowledge" and for an increase in their salaries as well as resources for public schools – the private sector is in the sights of deputies.

Indeed, a parliamentary report which crimps the financing of private education, co-written by the Renaissance deputy, Christopher Weissberg, and his LFI counterpart, Paul Vannier, was examined this Tuesday by the Commission of the L  rsquo;Education of the National Assembly.

Criticisms fueled by the scandals surrounding Stanislas

The deputies particularly question the financing of private education.

Funded "at least 75 % by public authorities", private education under contract with the State has been facing criticism for several months, fueled by the scandals surrounding Stanislas, an elitist Parisian establishment.

At the Assembly, elected Paul Vannier denounced "obsolescence" and "the "derives from a system put in place over 65 years ago", calling for & quot;a rapid and strong reaction from the government".

Rewards "far from being up to the level of funding"

Opaque financing, underestimated expenditure of 9.04 billion euros, insufficient budgetary and educational controls: the report is harsh on the management of &quot ;the’free school" by public authorities.

The rapporteurs want more control and believe "that the compensation required from private establishments is far from being equal to the funding".

"If we listen to Monsieur Vannier, our educational teams are potential fraudsters and, in a way, we would be gorging ourselves with public money. We know very well that this is not at all how we operate", Philippe Delorme defended himself to the AFP , general secretary of Catholic education.

"Double standards"

To strengthen social and educational diversity, Christopher Weissberg proposes making it compulsory to take into account the social positioning index (IPS) in the " resource allocation model". Paul Vannier advocates "a penalty mechanism" to lower allocations when this IPS is higher than that of public establishments in the same sector.< /p>

Around twenty people, mainly teachers, gathered on Tuesday afternoon in front of the National Assembly to denounce the end of public subsidies for the Averroès high school in Lille, the main Muslim secondary school of France, and deplore the "double standards".

The French State decided at the end of 2023 to terminate the contract linking it to this high school, accused of having provided teaching "contrary to the values ​​of the Republic".