Basis Of French Student Unrest

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31774, 3 September 1968, Page 1

Basis Of French Student Unrest

The student clamour in France is for recognition of a good general education as a qualification for all kinds of jobs, according to Professor J. Thoraval, of the University of Rennes in Brittany, the third largest in Europe.

Professor Thoraval said in an interview in Christchurch yesterday that this might sound ridiculous, but it was the basis of much student unrest.

In his own field of French literature, 100 students might pass the licence de lettres but only 20 would qualify in higher studies. The other 80 were considered fit only for teaching and there were too many teachers. So, frustrated, the students felt their training had been wasted. Yet, said Professor Thoraval, the licence was a good qualification indicating ability, liberal training, and capacity to do many other jobs well.

But the door to many worthwhile jobs stayed shut. Professor Thoraval, who Is lecturing on French literature in the main New Zealand universities at the invitation of the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, said that Rennes had 25,000 students in all faculties from the humanities to law, science, engineering, and medicine. The vocational type of specialised training opened doors, but liberal studies seemed not to be appreciated

This was partly the fault of the universities in failing to inform the community on general education and partly the fault of the community in not recognising the worth of trained minds. Professor Thoraval said that reforms were coming, but many in the universities had waited a long time. They now pinned their hopes on promises of the new Minister of Education that changes would be made.