In our previous edition, We were reviewing the main messages from Rector Gabriele Fioni during the back-to-school meeting. organized last Friday at the Soualiga college. Today, it's the turn of the vice-rector Nicole Noilhetas, who detailed the difficulties of the territory, with supporting figures, and the priorities she intends to pursue to improve academic results.
The situation observed at the start of the academic year remains worrying. The region has 112 fewer students This year, 39 were in primary school and 73 in secondary school. But it is above all the level of acquired skills that calls for increased mobilization. In the 2025 assessments, the results of the Northern Islands remain well below the national averages. In mathematics, only 21,6% of 6th grade students reach a satisfactory or higher level, compared to 47,1% nationally and 29,1% in the Guadeloupe academy. In French, they are 19 %, compared to 49,3% and 35,8% respectively.
These difficulties begin as early as primary school.
The gap is already apparent in primary school: in fourth grade, 26,3% of students reach the expected level in French, compared to 62,3% in France, and 36,6% in mathematics, compared to 59,7%. A cohort study from first to fourth grade confirms these difficulties. In four years, results deteriorate sharply, with a loss of 35,7 points in French and 33,1 points in mathematicsThe situation is particularly worrying in French, where performance continues to decline as students progress through their schooling.
Upon arrival at secondary school, the difficulties also manifest themselves in exams. DNB (National Certificate) 2026, alone 51,4% of the candidates from Saint-Martin were accepted, compared to 68,8% in the Guadeloupe academy and 81,6% nationally. SBH, for its part, boasts an 80% success rate. The CFG (general education certificate) resists better, with 86% success.
Faced with these figures, Nicole Noilhetas wants to focus efforts on fundamental learningThis includes reading, comprehension, mathematics, and scientific reasoning. Particular attention will also be paid to multilingualism, with the creation in September of a working group tasked with assessing the current situation and defining a strategy for the coming years.
School dropout and school climate: two major challenges
Another sensitive issue: school dropout. 237 secondary school students, 43% of whom are girls, are considered to be at risk of dropping out.Among them, 177 are already identified as dropouts, including 142 without a solution, while only 35 have found training or employment (47 dropouts in SBH). This is a particularly important issue given that post-Year 9 students still overwhelmingly choose general and technological tracks: of the 549 students placed, 298 entered a general or technological Year 11, 177 a vocational Year 11, and 74 the first year of a vocational certificate program.
Finally, the school climate is another point of concern. 113 incidents were reported in 2025-202658 of these incidents occurred in primary schools. 59,6% of the incidents involved physical or verbal abuse. For the deputy headteacher, improving results therefore also requires a school where students and staff can learn and work. in a calm school environmentThis approach will be particularly emphasized on September 16th with “September on the move”A day dedicated to sport in schools.
See also: https://www.faxinfo.fr/education-nicole-noilhetas-veut-batir-une-ecole-inclusive-ambitieuse-et-equitable/
