Open letter from CPED, supported by France Universités, to the Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research and the Minister for Higher Education and Research. - January 31, 2025
The Conférence Permanente des Chargés-es de Mission Égalité-Diversité (CPED) hereby wishes to express its deep concerns and expectations regarding the current situation in terms of equality, diversity, inclusion and the fight against discrimination and gender-based and sexual violence within higher education and research (ESR).
CPED is an association of 113 public research establishments that has been working for over ten years to promote equality and non-discrimination. Despite some notable advances, public policies in this area and the resources allocated to them (0.014% of the MESR's annual budget) fall far short of the challenges faced by universities and schools. As a result, most of the initiatives and measures currently in place rely on goodwill and people on fixed-term contracts, all of which are financed solely from the resources of establishments that are already in dire straits. This lack of human and financial resources is an obstacle to the implementation of ambitious policies with long-term impact..
In a highly unstable national and international context, we are asking for the support of the Ministry and, more broadly, of the government in the various measures taken to combat all forms of violence and discrimination. We would also like to draw your attention to some urgent requests that are essential to the effectiveness of equality, diversity and inclusion policies in our schools:
- Increased resources for equality-diversity-inclusion missions The main problem is that establishments do not have the necessary human and financial resources. For example, more than half of all equality mission staff at universities are currently on fixed-term contracts. "Nearly half of their contracts ended in 2024″ (Open letter from the "non-teaching staff of the Missions Egalité-Diversité des établissements de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche", 2024). What's more, there is no regulatory framework concerning the financial resources allocated to our subjects, creating major territorial inequalities (Remède 2022 survey). It is essential that the government commits to guaranteeing sustainable resources, without any competition between establishments, and that these resources are commensurate with current challenges. Equality-diversity-inclusion missions must be financed and supported by a national, strategic, equitable and sustainable policy. This policy cannot be based solely on the institutions' own funds. We call for equitably distributed financial support that applies to every school within a framework of ambitious and demanding laws for real equality.
- Stepping up the fight against gender-based and sexual violence 1 in 10 female students are victims of sexual violence during their studies, according to the Observatoire des VSS de l'ESR (2023). After an incident of SGBV, 9.3% of students stopped studying; 5.6% of female students say they repeated a year or failed at school (Enquête Virage / Paris 7, 2023). In a specific opinion, the Défenseure des Droits (2022) reminded us of the impact of VSS on the studies and work of women and gender minorities, creating inequalities in career paths that are contrary to human rights. We see this on a daily basis in the field: our listening and treatment units have to deal with a constant increase in reports of SGBV. There is an abysmal discrepancy between the estimated needs and the resources currently deployed. We are calling for a national action plan to be drawn up in a concerted manner, with no competition between public establishments, and which includes measures concerning: the recruitment of specialized staff in establishments, compulsory training for all staff, the structuring of victim care, a reflection on the care and reintegration of perpetrators, and a reform of disciplinary sections.
- Strengthening the fight against discrimination, harassment and hate speech Testing carried out by ONDES (Observatoire National des Discriminations et de l'Egalité dans le Supérieur - National Observatory on Discrimination and Equality in Higher Education) has revealed that people whose first and last names suggest a North African origin are 12% less likely to receive information about applying for a Master's degree than someone whose first and last names suggest a French origin. It is intolerable to see a growing number of acts of discrimination and harassment in higher education and research, particularly sexual, LGBTphobic, validist, racist, classist and faith-related, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. It is essential that public authorities send a message of unambiguous intransigence towards each and every one of these forms of discrimination. School heads are assuming their responsibilities, with the appointment of over 140 secularism and racism-anti-Semitism referents. It is with a single voice that we must uphold the republican values that inspire us. We demand that these issues be taken into account in their own right, in a national action plan drawn up in a concerted manner, with specific, ambitious and equitably distributed resources.
- Promoting greater social and cultural diversity Higher education must reflect the diversity of our society. It must defend and promote the values of tolerance, support and mutual respect that guarantee the well-being of individuals. It must set an example and be a driving force when it comes to parity and gender diversity within the various courses of study. It must facilitate access to higher education for students from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds. We are calling for legislative initiatives to be stepped up to help establishments achieve clear objectives in terms of parity, minority representation and social diversity.
- Monitoring and evaluation of equality and diversity policies VSS 2021-2025: it is essential to assess the impact of the VSS 2021-2025 plan, the action plans for professional equality and the professional equality index, and to identify areas requiring corrective action. We call for rigorous, transparent monitoring of equality, diversity and inclusion policies, and of the resources allocated by public authorities.
Madam Minister, Mr. Minister, equality and diversity issues must remain a priority for public action.
We had already alerted politicians on December 20, 2022 in an open letter to the Minister of ESR*, and on June 24, 2024 in a press release**, to the dichotomy between the importance of equality issues and the resources allocated to them. We call on you to consider the impact of your actions on social cohesion and to work towards an inclusive future where the promise of equality, an essential republican value, would have the means to be kept. We, CPED, will continue to advocate guidelines and laws that respect the diversity of people, protect, include and fight against all forms of discrimination and hatred in our establishments.
We remain at your disposal for any meetings or discussions you may have with a view to raising the profile of these issues within higher education and research.
Yours sincerely
Standing Conference of Equality and Diversity Officers (CPED)