The educational system in France, before Napoleon Bonaparte came into power, was very weak and elitist. The only students who attended schools were those of noble birth and were boys. The schools, at that time, were controlled by the church, giving them a biased view on education. During the Ancien Regime, it was a known fact that the church controlled everything. The whole point of students going to school was to become future clergys, as that was what they were taught in school and there was little teaching given on subjects such as math or geography. If you were to teach in schools, you had to get permission from the bishop as well which restricted the types of teachers. The control of the church was so great that it continued for centuries to come. It wasn't until the French Revolution occurred that the church seemed to loosen its grip on education.
One of the first universities in France, the University of
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More specifically, he believed that secondary level was even more essential for producing informative and active citizens. He also wanted boys from middle class to go to school and for it to not just be nobility. His idea for education of boys was to be divided into two parts. All boys under 12 years old would do the basic learning, math, reading, use of arms, etc, while boys over 12 years old would either be focused on the civil career or a military career (based on where they liked or did well at). In 1802, a new educational system was created. Since Napoleon didn’t care much about the elementary schools, the religious schools were going to take over a big part of that education. While secondary education, Napoleon's interest, was the most important kind of education since he believed that with that education, you become the future of France. All these schools were controlled by the country though many of the secondary schools were established by the