French educational authorities have intensified controls over private subsidized schools, mostly Catholic, in recent months, amid a scandal involving abuses at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram boarding school. However, this inspection offensive has sparked growing controversy over the methods employed and what various sector leaders describe as ideological overreach by the administration.
The general secretary of Catholic Education in France, Guillaume Prévost, has publicly denounced that numerous academic inspections have led to abuses of authority, intimidating practices, and violations of the legal framework regulating subsidized private education. Prévost presented these concerns before the National Assembly’s Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education, even calling for the creation of a parliamentary mission to investigate these actions, as reported by Le Parisien.
Reinforced Controls Following the Bétharram Case
The tightening of controls was announced by the French government after serious abuses committed over decades at the Catholic Bétharram boarding school came to light, a case that shocked public opinion and called into question the state’s oversight mechanisms. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne then announced a plan to inspect 40% of the 7,500 subsidized private schools within two years, a measure later confirmed by the Ministry of Education.
The Education Minister, Édouard Geffray, stated that by the end of 2025, nearly 1,000 inspections would have been conducted, justifying this policy as a way to ensure student protection and the proper use of public funds. However, he recalled that these schools, while subject to the official curriculum and the principles of state secularism, legally retain a “specific character”, as established by the Debré law.
Denunciations of Illegal Interrogations and Ideological Pressures
According to Prévost’s denunciations, as reported by the official portal Enseignement-Catholique, several inspections would have clearly exceeded that legal framework. Among the documented incidents are interrogations of minor students without the presence of adults, direct questions about families’ religion—something expressly prohibited—and searches of backpacks and school materials.
In other cases, inspectors would have demanded the removal of religious symbols, questioned voluntary pastoral activities, or subjected teachers to repeated interrogations about religious practices permitted by law. An internal report from Catholic Education, cited by Famille Chrétienne, speaks of “abusive, arbitrary methods that generate anxiety” and a “systematic suspicion toward the Christian identity of the institutions.”
“Under the guise of child protection, what is actually being defended is an ideological vision of the school that calls into question the freedom of education,” Prévost stated, in comments reported by Aleteia. The Catholic leader warned of a growing burnout among administrative staff, noting that a significant number of principals would be considering leaving their positions due to administrative pressure.
Ministry’s Response and Union Divisions
Following Prévost’s appearance and the release of the report, the Ministry of Education publicly acknowledged the existence of possible “deviations” and announced the issuance of firm instructions to rectors to remind them of the legal limits of inspections. In a statement cited by Le Parisien, the ministry emphasized that “any interrogation aimed at ascertaining the religious affiliation of students is entirely excluded.”
However, the union response has been uneven. While organizations linked to Catholic education, such as Synep-CGC, support the denunciations and demand fair and proportionate controls, secular unions like SE-Unsa accuse Catholic Education of exaggerating the situation and attempting to discredit a necessary oversight process, as reported by La Croix.
A New Clash Between Secularism and Educational Freedom
The conflict highlights a fundamental debate between state secularism and the freedom of education of institutions with their own ethos in French society. The Catholic hierarchy backs Prévost’s stance and argues that complying with the law does not mean renouncing the Christian identity that defines their educational project.
“We welcome transparency and legitimate controls, but we will not accept the erasure of our identity or the humiliation of our teachers,” Prévost told Famille Chrétienne. Catholic Education insists that the vast majority of its schools scrupulously comply with regulations and that a generalized stigmatization of the sector cannot be justified.
Pending the translation of the Ministry’s instructions into real changes on the ground, the episode confirms a growing trend in the use of administrative control as a tool for ideological pressure, with the risk of emptying the educational freedom that French legislation itself claims to protect.