2026 French Education Budget Sees Slight Increase Amid Union Criticism

The French national education budget for 2026 has been set at 64.5 billion euros, marking a modest increase of 200 million euros compared to the previous year, according to the draft finance law (PLF). Despite this rise, unions such as the SNES-FSU describe the increase as minimal and warn that it will be largely offset by inflation, limiting potential salary and career advancements for education staff. The budget includes reforms to teacher recruitment, notably reducing the qualification requirement from bac+5 to bac+3, with students serving as trainee teachers for a year. Although student numbers are declining due to a lower birth rate, the government plans to maintain 1.1 million full-time equivalent jobs to support 13 million students and apprentices. To improve social inclusion, 5,440 additional positions will be created to enhance support for students. Higher education and research funding also sees a slight rise to 31.25 billion euros, continuing support for ongoing research initiatives including those in the nuclear sector. Subsidized meals at university restaurants will remain available for scholarship students, although no new funding is allocated for scholarship reforms. Union leader Sophie Vénétitay emphasized that the budget falls short of expectations for salary increases and broader needs in education.