The Agency for French Education Abroad

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La carte du réseau des établissements d'enseignement français à l'étranger (septembre 2022)

Network of French educational institutions worldwide :
138 Countries  566 Schools  390 000 Pupils in 2022

 

Brochure en anglais "French education abroad" au format web (2020)

 

 

The French educational network abroad

The world’s largest educational network

  • 566 Schools
  • 138 Countries
  • 390,000 Students

A high-quality environment

  • 6,500 qualified staff members on transfer from the French Ministry of Education to the AEFE
  • 20,000 locally recruited staff members
  • A targeted and selective recruitment policy
  • An effective assessment system
  • An ambitious training program: 900 training sessions for 33,000 trainees per year

School accreditation a seal of quality

Accreditation by the French Ministry of Education certifies that the teaching provided by the school complies with the demands, curricula, teaching objectives and organizational rules of the French education system. All students from accredited schools can pursue their education in another French school without having to take an entry examination.
Schools are required to periodically prove that they meet accreditation criteria (acceptance of both French and foreign nationals, preparation for French examinations, employment of qualified French staff).

A principle of co-financing

The budget of AEFE (about one billion euros) is based on the principle of co-financing, with tuition fees paid by families and subsidies provided by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. France is the only country with an overseas education system of this size, largely subsidized by public funds.

Financial Assistance for tuition

Means-tested scholarships are available to help families fund their children's tuition. French schoolchildren aged 3 or more enrolled on the Register of French Nationals Living Abroad and attending a French School are entitled to this financial assistance.

The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE)

A government agency

The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) is a government institution supervised by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Founded in 1990, it is responsible for monitoring and managing the network of French schools abroad.
The AEFE is the guarantor of the French education system abroad. It plays a key role in expanding France’s cultural and linguistic influence throughout the world and serves to boost the appeal of French higher education.

Steering, supporting, advising the world’s largest network of nationally accredited schools operating outside national borders

The AEFE has two offices, in Paris and Nantes, and coordinates relationships with the 552 accredited schools in the network:

  • 68 schools managed directly, which are branches of the AEFE
  • 163 schools under contract with AEFE and managed by associations or foundations
  • 321 partner schools

Our missions

  •  Ensuring the continuity of French education for children living abroad whith their families
  •  Taking part in educational cooperation by nurturing special relations with the culture, language and educational system in the host country
  •  Broadening the influence of French language and culture by taking in foreign students
  •  Helping families pay tuition fees while endeavoring to keep costs to a minimum
  •  Awarding grants to students of French nationality attending one of the network’s schools

Our actions

  •  Managing the human resources and financial aid provided by the government for French schools abroad
  •  Recruiting, assigning and remunerating qualified teaching staff, coordination and inspection staff, and managerial staff
  •  Assessing teachers and teaching methods, as well as non-teaching staff
  •  Steering and managing staff training
  •  Awarding grants for the management of schools, investments, equipment and teaching aids
  •  Helping French students with scholarships
  •  Offering merit scholarships to the most successful foreign students seeking to pursue their higher education in France

High quality education for all students

The AEFE leads an innovative teaching approach for the schools in the network. The approach respects the French national curriculum while remaining open to the language and culture of the host country.

Open-minded

  •  Embracing the cultural diversity of students who attend AEFE schools
  •  Providing special French lessons for foreign students to ensure they feel comfortable in classes
  •  Adapting courses to the realities of the host country
  •  Taking advantage of the grassroots presence of schools in the host country by developing local-flavor sports and cultural activities

Innovative methods for teaching languages

  •  Teaching and perfecting French language skills using innovative methods adapted to specific groups
  •  Teaching the host-country language to French and foreign students
  • Promoting the use of English in an international context
  •  Offering modern languages right from elementary school

High-quality teaching

  • Achieving excellence for all students, a goal that is reflected in the results achieved by students in the network, including a 99% Baccalaureate pass rate (approximately three-quarters with honors and 28% with high honors), winners of the Concours Général des Lycées (a national competitive exam), awards in the National Mathematics Competition and other science competitions
  • Offering students a well-rounded education, including sports, culture and the arts
  • Giving each pupil the right to high-quality education and school life in a caring and inclusive environment
  • Managing the transition to higher education
  •  Setting students on the path towards excellence

Partners for french education abroad

  • Cultural services departments (SCAC), which work with embassies and the AEFE to ensure implementation of the strategy set out by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Members of Parliament representing French citizens abroad : 11 representatives and 12 senators
  • The assembly for French citizens abroad (AFE) comprising 90 councillors elected by French expatriates
  •  Parents’ associations and financial administration committees of the network schools
  •  Staff representatives
  •  The Mission Laïque Française (MLF), a government-accredited association that manages 84 government-accredited schools in 34 countries, some of which also have contracts with the AEFE
  •  The French Ministry of Education
  •  Centre national d’enseignement à distance (CNED) (National Centre for Distance Learning)
  •  The ANEFE, a government-accredited association that awards government-insured loans to French schools overseas to buy, build or equip school premises

Other programs promoting French language and culture

As part of its educational cooperation remit, the AEFE manages two additional programs alongside its network of accredited schools.
  • FLAM (French as a native language):

The AEFE provides financial aid to local associations seeking to maintain the French skills of French children who do not attend an accredited school.

  • LabelFrancÉducation:

Launched in 2012, the "LabelFrancÉducation" seal is granted to schools promoting French language and culture as part of their specific curriculum. "LabelFrancÉducation" recognizes and rewards public or private schools that offer students enhanced instruction in the French language while also teaching other subjects in French. "LabelFrancÉducation" promotes outstanding education in French among students and parents.

The ALFM, an alumni network

Founded in 2010, the ALFM (Anciens des Lycées Français du Monde) is an alumni association of students having attended schools in the network. Alumni include well-known artists, entrepreneurs, politicians and designers, whose sucess demonstrates the high-quality, openminded education they received in the network.