On The Early Stage Of The Development Of France's Grande Ecoles

As the forerunner of the modernization of higher education in Europe,France has a long history in higher education and a distinctive feature which no other countries in Europe,even in the entire world,have in their higher education systems.France has a dual system,Les Grande Ecoles and Les Universités,in their higher education.One of the important ways to realize modernization in France's higher education is that a lot of higher educational institutions of a new type are established.These institutions are different from traditional universities in that they are specialized schools built up to satisfy the need of industrial development.They are the origin of Les Grande Ecoles which help to accelerate the modernization of France's higher education.The early stage of France's Les Grande Ecoles includes the late Bourbon Dynasty and the period of Napoleon's reign.At the time before the French Revolution broke out,the demand to engineering talents was enlarged due to France's mercantilist policy.Medieval universities could hardly get accustomed to the social and economic development,and thus specialized schools appeared to cultivate pragmatic engineering talents.It is where Les Grande Ecoles are originated.Bourgeois regime is the important premise of the modernization of France's higher education.From the French Revolution in 1789,the focus of higher education began to change.The macro intervention and regulation from the government played a decisive role in the development of higher education.Specialized school,as a new type of higher education institutions,completely got rid of the traditional educational ideas and curriculum modes.In the Napoleon Period,the government shut down old-fashioned medieval universities through a series of education policies and administrative approaches,and got a great many specialized schools reopened,reformed or newly-established.Specialized school came to its prosperity.From then on,courses related to natural science began to enter France's higher education,which brought fundamental changes in educational ideology,educational objectives,curriculum structure,and so on.A unique and pragmatic education to provide specialists to society came into being and pushed France's higher education to a new era.It is obvious that the establishment of these specialized schools invents a“dual system” for France's higher education.This system,providing plenty of capable engineering talents for France,lays the pavement for France's educational diversity,and at the same time brings profound influence on the engineering education of other countries all over the world.