President Emmanuel Macron is moving ahead with a plan to close Ecole Nationale d’Administration (Ena) — the elite postgraduate school that has trained the politicians and chief executives who dominate French public life.
The Elysée announced on Thursday that Ena, long dominated by students from privileged backgrounds, will be replaced by a new “public management school” that will draw from a more diverse pool of candidates and teach a broader curriculum including the environment and poverty.
To reform the senior civil service, the government will also abolish the system by which people are initially assigned to the most prestigious government jobs based on their ranking at Ena graduation, and instead give them roles based on needs and skills.