French Education Budget Constraints Highlighted Amid Court Ruling on Teacher Replacement Failure

The French national education budget for 2026 has been set at 64.5 billion euros, marking a nominal increase of 200 million euros from 2025’s allocation. However, detailed analysis reveals that this apparent increase conceals significant budgetary restrictions, particularly affecting teacher staffing and support for disadvantaged students.

Although the government announced the creation of 5,440 new positions and 1,200 additional aides for students with disabilities, these measures are overshadowed by cuts in other teaching roles and the freezing of financial aid for the most disadvantaged pupils. The budget also faces increased automatic costs due to the 'glissement vieillesse technicité' phenomenon, which raises spending because of an aging workforce and career advancements, further complicating educational funding.

These financial pressures have tangible effects on teaching quality, as demonstrated by a recent ruling from the Lille Administrative Court. The court condemned the French State for failing to replace a sixth-grade French teacher who was absent for 55 hours during the 2022-2023 school year at Gambetta College in Lys-lez-Lannoy. This absence amounted to 34% of the annual French teaching hours for that grade, a significant disruption leading to delays and gaps in the student’s learning.

The court ruled on November 28 that the State committed a fault by not ensuring the replacement despite its public service obligation to deliver mandatory curricular subjects. The Ministry of National Education's efforts to manage the absences were deemed insufficient, and the State was ordered to pay 470 euros in compensation to the affected family. A similar case involving missed physics-chemistry classes did not result in a condemnation, as the number of missed hours was considered too minimal to cause substantial harm.

This juxtaposition of budget constraints and legal accountability underscores the challenges facing French education policy. While the government reports increases in staff and support roles, these are counterbalanced by cuts elsewhere, leading to failures such as unreplaced teaching absences that directly harm student learning outcomes.