Dear students, staff, and families,
I hope you had a peaceful and restorative summer, and that you are approaching this new school year with energy, curiosity, and commitment. The first days of school are always filled with emotion: the joy of reunions, new encounters, and the pleasure of learning together.
As you know, this rentrée takes place in a particular economic context in France. With the objective of restoring balance to public finances, the State is pursuing a policy of budgetary restraint that affects all ministries and public operators. As an operator of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, AEFE must play its part and is facing significant budget reductions, which will require a collective effort shared by all actors in our network.
In this context, the Board of Directors meeting on July 17 highlighted the need to rethink our economic model. An extraordinary Board of Directors meeting is planned for the fall to examine several aspects of this evolution.
Despite this, I want to reassure you that AEFE will continue to fulfill its two main missions. First, its public service mission toward students of French nationality. The State’s commitment will remain very significant – and unique in the world – with the near-maintenance in 2025 of funding for need-based scholarships, amounting to more than 103 million euros. Thanks to this support system, nearly 17,610 scholarship students are currently able to access a French education in our schools around the world. I also want to emphasize that the new SCOLAIDE platform, which has experienced difficulties since its launch in January, will be stabilized before the next scholarship campaign, as technical teams are fully mobilized.
Second, AEFE is of course committed to welcoming students of all nationalities, in order to promote the French language and culture. This is essential to sustaining multilingualism and multiculturalism across our network.
In this context, AEFE’s strengths remain solid: excellence, quality of education, the strength of the network, and its attractiveness.
Excellence, first of all, particularly academic excellence: the 2025 baccalauréat across the network achieved a 98.3% success rate, with 82.6% of students receiving honors, and the French International Baccalaureate (BFI) recorded a 98.7% success rate with 97.3% of students receiving honors. These results are the outcome of exceptional collective effort. I warmly congratulate all the students, their families, and their teachers on this achievement. The results of this year’s national academic competition also showcase the remarkable talent of our students, with 46 awards, including 13 prizes, 17 honorable mentions, and 16 commendations.
These results stem from the high quality of teaching delivered in our schools. This is what families come to seek in the French international school network. This quality is guaranteed by adherence to the homologation criteria, which form the common foundation of all schools in the network. Our teaching is both demanding and caring, and it incorporates the latest pedagogical innovations.
This teaching is enriched every day through reinforced continuing training, delivered by nearly 300 trainers and 16 Regional Training Institutes. Last year, over 3,740 training sessions were organized, benefiting more than 21,200 staff members – a 20% increase compared to the previous year. We intend to continue on this path, and I invite all stakeholders to get involved in the election of representatives to the Administrative and Financial Affairs Councils of the IRFs, which will be held this year. AEFE is also launching a master’s degree program (MEEF, primary and secondary) to further enhance staff qualifications. The goal is simple and clear: to provide every student with the best possible education, thanks to ever-better-trained teachers.
The third strength of AEFE is its capacity to build and sustain a network. This is its hallmark and the true power of French education abroad. Federating events organized by the Agency create bonds between students, staff, and schools by involving them in outstanding projects. For example, last year the Semaine des lycées français du monde mobilized more than 200,000 students across 96 countries. The Orchestra and Choir of the French Schools of the World, a flagship artistic project of the Agency, brought together in Lisbon last April 70 instrumentalists and 40 choristers from 53 countries – a truly moving event. In November, we will also welcome the winners of the Ambassadeurs en herbe eloquence competition, a true celebration of multilingual freedom of expression for our students. The Jeux internationaux de la jeunesse, extraordinary sports and cultural gatherings, will take place in Cairo in May (applications are already open). Initiatives such as Les petits Champions de la lecture and Mai des langues, a highlight event to celebrate multilingualism, will be renewed this year.I am also pleased to announce that the ADN Mobilité program via the AGORA Monde platform will resume this year, allowing 10th-grade students to experience another school within our network or discover a school in France. Building connections also means developing an alumni network – locally and worldwide – for the benefit of students and schools. The Forum mondial des alumni des lycées français du monde (FOMA) will take place in Madrid at the end of May.
AEFE also strengthens its network by developing strong ties between school staff. Earlier this summer, the annual seminar for new managerial staff was a key moment of preparation before they took up their posts. It was a valuable time for exchange, information, and encounters, essential for supporting our teams abroad and strengthening the cohesion of our network. From September to March, annual regional seminars will take place, along with governance seminars for conventioned and partner schools. These will also be opportunities for me and for the new Deputy Director General, Vassiliki Driancourt, to visit schools, meet teams, and better understand the unique local contexts.
It is also worth noting that a decree issued by the French Council of State on July 3 now links the granting of homologation to the signing of a partnership agreement with AEFE, formally marking a school’s entry into the French international education network.
To support the network in attracting quality candidates, AEFE also provides leadership teams with the Talents platform to fill local contract positions. More than 1,500 offers were posted, and over 50,000 applications were received.
Grâce à cette excellence, à la qualité de l’enseignement et à la force du réseau, notre projet reste attractif : en cette rentrée, 18 nouveaux établissements ont été homologués et ont rejoint le réseau, sans compter les 36 établissements qui ont vu leur périmètre d’homologation étendu. À toutes celles et ceux qui nous rejoignent, je souhaite la bienvenue dans ce réseau unique au monde. Cette augmentation du nombre d’établissements est remarquable dans le contexte d’un monde particulièrement instable, voire soumis à des conflits armés.
Thanks to excellence, quality, and the strength of our network, our project remains highly attractive: this rentrée, 18 new schools were granted homologation and joined the network, in addition to 36 schools whose scope of homologation was extended. I warmly welcome all new members of this unique network. This growth is particularly remarkable in today’s unstable global context, marked by conflict in certain regions.
I want to express special thoughts for our students and staff in Ukraine, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Iran, Lebanon, and more broadly in all countries facing extreme circumstances. They have endured, and in some cases still endure, extremely difficult conditions. We owe them our deepest gratitude. The Agency provides special support through its weekly monitoring unit, which turns into a crisis unit when necessary, working closely with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris and with embassies. You know that AEFE is here to support you: in terms of security, in ensuring pedagogical continuity, and in working on solutions during exam periods. Our absolute priority is the safety of all.
What lies ahead for this school year?
It will be important to continue to uphold our values and defend our specific characteristics in a world undergoing disruption, where the number of democracies is declining. Gender equality will always be promoted and defended. It is part of a broader effort toward professional equality between women and men, carried out through AEFE’s second action plan, with training sessions organized by zone. Student well-being, school climate, and anti-bullying initiatives will remain central. First aid training will also play a key role in strengthening resilience in our school communities. I would like to see the number of first aid trainers and certified schools increase rapidly. The network will also take part in France’s fourth National Resilience Day on October 13. Inclusion will also continue to progress, with specific training offered to staff and, for the first time, to all AESH in the network.
From a pedagogical standpoint, AEFE will launch an ambitious plan for the French language, complementing its longstanding commitment to multilingualism. This plan aims to strengthen French language mastery for all students, whether francophone or not.
This year will also focus on a major theme for the future: artificial intelligence. The guiding principle for 2025 will be: “Cultivating creativity and critical thinking in the age of AI.” I believe this is a meaningful way to approach a subject that is on everyone’s mind today.
Dear all, in the past five years, more than 120 schools have joined the AEFE network. This rentrée, over 400,000 students in 612 schools across 138 countries are pursuing an education certified in accordance with French national curricula. I warmly thank the families who made this choice, and I thank all the actors – students, parents, staff, representatives, and elected officials – who are committed every day to the French international education project.
As I said, this year we must come together to overcome the reduction in public funding. Even more, we must imagine a new economic model for AEFE, one that is sustainable and ensures the continuation of this remarkable project. It is a complex challenge, but I am confident in our collective ability to meet it with responsibility.
I wish you all an excellent 2025 rentrée and a wonderful school year, and I look forward to meeting many of you in the field!