paris

Although the Attali report's recommendations for reform of the élite grandes écoles have been widely welcomed (see above), the fate of proposals for significant changes in the university system is uncertain. Past efforts ended ignominiously after protests by students and staff.

The report implicitly endorses the wish of the national education minister, Claude Allègre, to create competitive research-based universities. At present, universities are centrally organized, officially uniform in quality and offer national degrees.

The report recommends creating a national evaluation committee to rank individual university departments on research and teaching, and that more funding be awarded to the strongest. It also proposes increasing institutions' autonomy by boosting the power of vice-chancellors and transferring buildings and land from the state.

At the same time, the report advocates making universities more accountable to economic and local needs through governing boards made up of local representatives and industrialists, to sit alongside the university board. In particular, governing boards could make nominations for vice-chancellor and participate in the election.

Both the conference of university vice-chancellors (CPU) and the unions are sceptical about this proposal. Unions argue that the current system, where the university president is elected by staff and students, is democratic and that outside interference would introduce economic interests at odds with universities' role in teaching and fundamental research. Bernard Saint-Girons, head of the CPU, describes the proposal as “unsatisfactory”.

More broadly, proposals to increase competition are likely to be extremely controversial. Many in France, and in particular unions representing university staff and students, remain strongly attached to a national university system with open access.

Claude Lécaille, national secretary of SNESup, the main university teachers' union, describes the report's proposals as an “unacceptable” slippery slope to differential course fees and restricted access.

The education ministry last week declined to comment on the report's recommendations, although Allègre is reported to be pleased.