The Paradox of French Education: A Network of Excellence Surviving by Taxing Parents

Discontent is spreading through schools in the French education network abroad, and Morocco finds itself at the forefront of this protest movement. Confronted with increasingly heavy bills, families, feeling treated like "cash cows," have decided to take action. Parent associations from Rabat and Tangier, alongside groups from Brussels, Lisbon, and London, have officially filed a complaint with the administrative court in Montreuil. According to reporting by the daily newspaper Le Parisien, these plaintiffs accuse the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) of imposing a hidden tax to replenish its coffers—a decision that normally falls solely within the legislative branch’s authority.

On Bladi.net : French schools in Morocco: The revolt of parents spreads from Rabat and Casablanca to Fez

At the root of this price surge lies a critical financial situation at the AEFE. Having anticipated a deficit of 59 million euros by the end of 2025, the institution has imposed a massive transfer of costs to high schools. Directly managed and contracted schools must now finance a large portion of retirement pensions for personnel seconded by the French Ministry of Education. This employer contribution will weigh in at 35 percent of school budgets starting in 2026, before climbing to 50 percent in 2027. To absorb this financial shock, schools have no choice but to pass these costs directly on to families.

The impact of these measures is already being felt harshly. For example, tuition in Portugal will jump 11 percent at the start of the school year, pushing the average cost of a year of schooling to around 7,000 euros, and up to 9,000 euros when adding cafeteria and study fees. This escalation has prompted Senator Mélanie Vogel to denounce a "two-tiered system, where only the wealthiest can afford a quality French education." Meanwhile, teachers are concerned about deteriorating learning conditions. In Rome, staff at the Chateaubriand high school went on strike en masse to protest the elimination of class divisions and the announcement of overcrowded classes with thirty students.

On Bladi.net : French schools in Morocco: the return of anger in the face of soaring fees

Today, an entire diplomatic and educational model, thirty-five years old, appears to be running on empty. The AEFE manages a colossal network of 612 schools in 138 countries, educating 400,000 students, of whom 120,000 are French. Facing the urgency and growing anger of expatriates, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu tasked Senator Samantha Cazebonne in mid-January with a temporary mission. Her objective is to design a "profound and systemic reform" of the agency, with conclusions eagerly awaited by mid-June.