School assembly at PLC
As “lycée” (high school) pupils, we have several suggestions
to improve the French education system...
We contacted via Skype and
email four girls at the Presbytarian Ladies’ College (PLC) in Perth, Western Australia. We asked them about their city, about their daily life and about school
life. The education system in Australia is apparently really different from our
system. Can we adapt some of their educational practices to our region (Auvergne
Rhône-Alpes)?
Make school days shorter!
School days are too long in France; it is difficult to concentrate
through so many lessons. We agree with the OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) which has described the French school system as
“too academic.” And, we take part in few after-school activities because most
of us have so much homework. We like to learn, but we would like to have more
free time. In Australia, there are fewer lessons. School stars at 9 o’clock and
finishes at 3pm. They have homework too, but much more free time than we do. Also,
they are used to learning by themselves and so become more independent as they
get older. We teenagers, in France, are not lazy; if school days were shorter, we
would be less tired and so more efficient (learn less, but better). It would
have a positive impact on our social life, we would become more independent and
be able to do other things like give a little more of our time to charity
projects, etc. (which would look good on our CVs).
We want to get involved in charity work!
PLC in Perth upholds great values and does everything to make students
shine. The school wants them to apply what they learn at school to the reality
of the outside world. It encourages getting involved in charity work because that
way pupils can learn to help others and each other, i.e. to be less selfish and
to think about others more. The girls we talked to for example make breakfast
for families who have children in hospital. PLC has integrated Community and
Service Learning in the education programme. Girls in PLC have many
opportunities to take part in community service projects (such as in the Police and Community Youth Centres, and for
UnitingCare West which helps
Indigenous communities, the homeless, single mothers, etc.), and they can also
launch a project themselves. The girls win awards according to the number of
hours they get involved in such projects. While countries like Australia have
understood the importance of getting children and students involved in
associations and in community service, the French school system has not… In
France, we don’t learn to think about others much and we’re not fully aware of
what can be done in order to help people around us. If our school told us more
about it and if we had more free time as well, we are certain that more pupils
would like to become involved in a charity programme. If more schools in France
worked with at least one charitable organisation, it would raise awareness among
teenagers of the need for solidarity (“fraternité,” as we say)…
We want to choose our subjects!
In the Australian education system, pupils can choose their subjects. While
in year 10, about ten subjects are imposed, from year 11 (which corresponds to
3ème-2nde), only English class is mandatory. This allows pupils to focus on the
subjects they like and need for their career choice. This keeps pupils
motivated and usually means they get good results.
We want school streaming!
Another good thing in the Australian system is streaming. For example,
in Mathematics there can be classes of different ability levels. This would be
frowned upon in the egalitarian French education system, but, by grouping
pupils of similar ability in one class, they can progress at their own pace with
the adapted learning methods and tools; pupils don’t fall behind because the
lessons are too difficult, or don’t get bored because they have finished the
exercises before everyone else. The French system is one of “dumbing down” and
does not encourage pupils to work better (let alone actually enjoy learning)…
We want more after-lessons activities!
As mentioned, the Australian timetable allows pupils to have more free
time than we do in France. They use this free time ingeniously. Indeed, many
activities are available at their school, including Sports, Art, Drama, and various
outdoor activities. In Australia, these after-school activities are an important
part of education. Everyone can discover and practice a hobby or even several. It
is a way to make new friends, discover new things and to make school more fun.
In France, a lot of pupils do not have time for extracurricular activities. In
Australia, these activities are available within the school and this motivates
almost every student to enrol in at least one.
We want more contact with other schools!
Extra-curricular activities are also a great way to meet pupils from
other schools in the region. In Australia, pupils from different schools meet up
with each other regularly for sports tournaments, etc. In the French system, we
rarely see kids from other schools. What if we had school “twinning” committees?
How about “Houses”?!
Most schools in Australia have a “House” system. In PLC Perth for
example, there are seven “Houses”, each with its own colour, emblem and motto.
Every student and staff member is a member of one of the seven Houses. It seems
to be a really good idea because nobody feels left out that way. Everybody is
part of a team and learns team spirit and solidarity. But teachers and staff
members also belong and this forges links between teachers and pupils. Our
system is hierarchical (teachers and pupils do not mix), individualistic and
competitive.
We want a uniform!
A school uniform means less discrimination because no one stands out because
his or her clothes are “better quality.” In France, people would argue that a
uniform goes against individual freedom (to wear what you like). But, does it
not encourage a sense of “belonging”?
Conclusion
Since 1st January 2016, France has thirteen large “Régions” (instead of twenty
two smaller ones). Regions
have greater responsibilities than before and so, perhaps, now would be the
right time to also give them more say regarding education? Why can’t each
region develop its own educational system?
The Conseil Régional of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has a €32
million budget for our region’s “lycées.” Would it not be great if part of that
money were spent on improvements we, the pupils, would like?!
Please, M.
Wauquiez, Conseil Régional President:
- Reduce the number of hours we have to spend studying; we would be less tired and so we could concentrate more easily and have better results!
- Let us choose the subjects we want to study, so that we would enjoy our classes more!
- Allow streaming of classes to make it easier for pupils to learn at their own pace!
- Encourage after-class activities (within schools) so that we can learn differently and get involved in civic activities and so become responsible citizens!
No comments:
Post a Comment