The Old System.
The Bifurcation.
The Bifurcation did not work well.
The old system, from the time of Napoleon I. to the middle of the century, was founded on classical studies, with lighter scientific studies and those chiefly mathematical. After taking their bachelor’s degree, those students who were intended for certain Government schools (Écoles Polytechnique, Centrale, Normale supérieure pour les sciences) received further scientific instruction in special classes. This was the old system, but in 1853 an important change was introduced by M. Fortoul’s ministry, which invented what was long known as the bifurcation. On leaving the fourth class, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, pupils were required to choose between literary studies with a slight scientific supplement or the converse. Both kinds of students continued at that time to attend together the lectures on history and geography, and so much of modern languages as was then taught, besides the classes for Latin translation and the French classes. This was the system known as the bifurcation, but it did not work very well in practice, because the scientific students fell too far behind the literary students to follow profitably the same Latin classes.
The Enseignement Spécial.
In October 1864, under Duruy’s ministry, there was a new departure. He established the enseignement secondaire spécial. This scheme of teaching excluded Latin, which was replaced by a modern language, and it embraced rather an extensive programme, outside of classical studies, with such subjects as mathematical and natural science, political economy, and law.
Present State of the Enseignement Spécial.
Under the existing system the enseignement spécial includes two modern languages instead of one, and of these one is taken as “principal,” the other as “accessory,” at the student’s choice, he being more severely examined in that which he selects as “principal.” The present varieties of public secondary education may be described under three heads.
Present Varieties in French Secondary Education.
1. Ancient languages, with a little science and one modern language.