Observations

Unequal access to higher education in the arts and culture

Young people do not all, everywhere, have the same access to higher education, especially in artistic, cultural and fashion disciplines. Due to a lack of information or guidance, lack of support, self-censorship (“that’s not for me”), many high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds stop at the Professional Aptitude Certificate (CAP) [usually aged 16 maximum] or the Baccalauréat. And, even if they wanted to follow artistic courses of study, post-high school preparatory classes in the graphic arts or applied arts, which could provide preparation for entry to art school, are mainly fee-paying. Entry to higher schools of art, applied arts or fashion therefore remains elitist. We should fight this inequality starting at high school, when orientation choices are made, and when it is still possible to prepare students for selective entrance procedures for higher education.

What should we propose?

There are many ways of making up for the shortcomings of underprivileged students, including:

• Implementation of a program of initiation and exposure to artistic and cultural careers: visits to museums and galleries, meetings with designers, craftsmen and renowned professionals, discovery of artistic practices through courses and training workshops. This is what most centers of excellence located in priority districts have set up.

• Prepare skills upgrade for students wishing to take very selective competitive exams for higher education establishments, through dedicated pedagogical support. This is the goal of artistic preparatory classes or skills upgrade classes for the applied arts (MANAA).

• Provide the careers guidance information needed for their disciplines (open days for schools, forums, etc.)

The goal of these initiatives is to encourage young talents to pursue higher education in art, applied arts or training in the performing arts: skills upgrade classes for applied arts (MANAA), literary preparatory classes with an artistic option, BTS [Higher Technician’s License, two years' post high-school study] (BTS Ceramic Arts, BTS Space Design or Fashion Design, BTS Audiovisual Industry, BTS Photography, etc.)

After these preparatory classes and BTS courses to upgrade their skills, these students can access major plastic arts schools or centers of excellence.