17 591 students preparing for the recruitment exam for teaching in primary schools
33 909 students preparing for one of the recruitment exams for teaching in secondary schools
17 385 trainee-teachers in primary schools
12 997 trainee-teachers in secondary schools
Source document: SISE survey, june 2005, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Ministère de l’éducation nationale, de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche
The IUFMs meet a dual requirement :
Demographic trends in France suggest that between 2006 and 2015 around half of teachers will need to be replaced.
In line with governement guidelines on education, the IUFMs are responsible for initial teacher training.
They also implement in-service training programmes and take part in research on education.
The IUFMs provide prospective teachers with appropriate training, allowing them to be successful candidates to the recruitment exams ; and to fulfill their role as education professionals.
With Guizot’s law, a school is set up in every town district and, in every county, an «école normale» (school of education) is created to train primary school teachers.
Ferry’s laws state that education is compulsory and free for all, and establish the principle of laicity in education. These laws also promote important developments within the «écoles normales» for primary school teachers.
The Orientation law creates the «instituts universitaires de formation des maîtres» (post-graduate teacher training institutes). In each county, the IUFM is responsible for the training of primary school teachers, secondary school teachers (in mainstream, technical and vocational education) and pastoral education councellors.
As stipulated by the law for «priorities and curriculum in the future of school», IUFMs will, by the year 2008, become «schools within universities». The State defines, with a national framework, specifications for professional teacher training.
