“Equal opportunities are the heart of the republic pact, their very principle is embodied in the republic’s motto” (French State)
Today, this is far from being the reality: 1,885,000 French students (1.4x the population of Milan) experience economic difficulties. 9 out of 10 students need to use their savings in order to continue with higher education. If you consider the famous “meritocratic” French “Grandes ecoles”, figures are also impressive. For example, in the case of ESCP, the oldest Business school created in the world, the fees for the Master program increased by 72 % in ten years (same could be said for HEC or ESSEC).
In this piece, a student is experiencing his education at ESCP while being homeless as he cannot afford the global living costs. If you are exceptional without financial support, you will not be able to live in Paris and study at ESCP, even if you get accepted.
We know this happens, but don’t want to see it. What can we do?