ABSTRACT
In France, the Baccalauréat is considered as a national symbol by all, whatever their political persuasion. Jack Lang (1992), Minister for National Education in a former socialist government, described it as an ‘historic monument’. François Bayrou, another former Minister for National Education, who belonged to the more conservative side of parliament, stated (1993): ‘Its national character is more than symbolic: it is a benchmark in the relationship between school and nation and it makes the objectives for democratization easier to determine. If the baccalaureate needs to evolve, changes must be carried out carefully.’
