The Unraveling of European Education

The massive student revolts that took place late last year in France and Spain had, superficially, no ideological character. But deep down, the violent demonstrations had profound political and sociological implications. European education is facing an inevitable collision between quality and quantity.

American readers must bear in mind that, on the Continent, a student finishes his general education at roughly the age of 18: There are four years of elementary school, followed by eight or nine years of combined high school/ college, ending with the baccalaureate. There is no college in the American sense, no undergraduate school: The universities are graduate schools, teaching one not how to live, but how to make a living. Once a young man or woman has a bachelor’s degree, he or she has the right to take up graduate studies at any state university (there are practically no private universities in Europe). This means, in turn, that the high school/college (lycée, Gymnasium) has to be intellectually selective—elitist, if you will.

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Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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The massive student revolts that took place late last year in France and Spain had, superficially, no ideological character. But deep down, the violent demonstrations had profound political and sociological implications. European education is facing an inevitable collision between quality and quantity.

American readers must bear in mind that, on the Continent, a student finishes his general education at roughly the age of 18: There are four years of elementary school, followed by eight or nine years of combined high school/ college, ending with the baccalaureate. There is no college in the American sense, no undergraduate school: The universities are graduate schools, teaching one not how to live, but how to make a living. Once a young man or woman has a bachelor’s degree, he or she has the right to take up graduate studies at any state university (there are practically no private universities in Europe). This means, in turn, that the high school/college (lycée, Gymnasium) has to be intellectually selective—elitist, if you will.