France

===Education===
{{Main|Education in France}}
[[File:Façade_de_l'École_normale_supérieure.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The [[École normale supérieure (Paris)|ENS]] produces among the most [[Nobel Prize]] laureates [[per capita]] in the world.<ref>Tom Clynes, [https://www.nature.com/news/where-nobel-winners-get-their-start-1.20757 Where Nobel winners get their start], [[Nature (journal)|Nature]], 7 October 2016</ref>]]
In 1802, [[Napoleon]] created the [[lycée]], the second and final stage of secondary education that prepares students for higher education studies or a profession.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Lycée |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/352505/lycee |access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, [[Jules Ferry]] is considered the father of the French modern school, leading reforms in the late 19th century that established free, secular and compulsory education (currently mandatory until the age of 16).<ref>{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.senat.fr/rap/l97-504/l97-5041.html II. L'évolution du contenu de l'obligation scolaire]. Sénat.fr</ref><ref>{{In lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080546/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/site-jeunes/laicite/fiche-dates/fiche-1881-1882/fiche.pdf 1881–1882 : Lois Ferry École publique gratuite, laïque et obligatoire]. Assemblé Nationale</ref>

French education is centralised and divided into three stages: primary, secondary, and higher education. The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[OECD]], ranked France's education as near the OECD average in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Compare your country – PISA 2018 |url=https://www2.compareyourcountry.org/pisa/country/FRA?lg=en |access-date=4 October 2021 |website=www2.compareyourcountry.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) France report |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_FRA.pdf |website=oecd}}</ref> France was one of the PISA-participating countries where school children perceived some of the lowest levels of support and feedback from their teachers.<ref name=":2"/> Schoolchildren in France reported greater concern about the disciplinary climate and behaviour in classrooms compared to other [[OECD]] countries.<ref name=":2"/>

Higher education is divided between [[Universities in France|public universities]] and the prestigious and selective ''[[Grande école|Grandes écoles]]'', such as [[Sciences Po|Sciences Po Paris]] for political studies, [[HEC Paris]] for economics, [[École Polytechnique|Polytechnique]], the [[École des hautes études en sciences sociales]] for social studies and the [[École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris]] that produce high-profile engineers, or the [[École nationale d'administration]] for careers in the [[Grands corps de l'État|Grands Corps]] of the state. The ''Grandes écoles'' have been criticised for alleged [[elitism]], producing many if not most of France's high-ranking civil servants, CEOs and politicians.<ref name="gécoles">{{In lang|fr}} [http://www.lefigaro.fr/formation/2010/01/08/01015-20100108ARTFIG00525-les-grandes-ecoles-dans-la-tourmente-.php Les grandes écoles dans la tourmente]&nbsp;– [[Le Figaro]]</ref>