Book excerpt: Originally published in 1985. The French education system is unique in many ways and provides a useful contrast for those in all English-speaking countries to their own education system. The nature of the system; the resulting multiplicity of Inspectors; emphasis on nursery and primary schools and on vocational training; and the distinctions between different categories of teachers. This book provides an overview of the French education system and all its components. It discusses developments since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958 and it relates the developments to changing political forces.