France to Allow Baccalauréat Exams in Regional Languages Starting 2028

The French Ministry of National Education has announced a major policy shift allowing high school students to take one specialty exam of the baccalauréat in a regional language beginning in 2028. Education Minister Édouard Geffray confirmed that students who have pursued a specialty course in a living regional language such as Breton, Basque, Occitan, Corsican, or Creole during their final two years of lycée will be able to sit that exam in their regional language instead of French.

Until now, students studying regional languages could only take exams in French unless the language itself was the specialty. Under the new system, a student taking mathematics in Breton can take that exam in Breton but must complete their other specialty exams, like physics and chemistry, in French. This policy aims to officially recognize bilingual schooling while maintaining the primacy of French, as the majority of exams will still be in French. Minister Geffray stressed this initiative does not threaten the French language but instead promotes true bilingualism without compromising exam equality.

Regulatory texts formalizing the new framework are expected to be published this summer to allow students entering their first year of lycée next academic year to benefit from the change in 2028. The ministry intends to establish a bilingual section for students following regional language specialties, with exams translated accordingly.

A key consideration before implementation is securing qualified exam correctors fluent in regional languages to ensure fair and effective grading. Additionally, the ministry is also preparing for demographic changes, notably a projected decline of 2 million students by 2035, which will impact school organization and teacher recruitment. To adapt, local educational authorities will co-develop five-year school plans with local stakeholders to align educational offerings with population trends.

This policy reform addresses long-standing contradictions in language education and represents a coherent step toward valuing France's regional linguistic heritage within the national education system.