Suspected antisemitism: Jews failed in matriculation exams in France

A public commotion and allegations of antisemitism followed the publication of matriculation results in France, when fifteen Jewish students from the prestigious École Yabné in Paris received particularly low grades.

Unlike the high achievements formerly achieved by the prestigious high school’s students, fifteen students at the school experienced a drop of 8-10 points from their expected score, while French matriculation exams are rated on a scale of 0-20 points. In an interview with i24NEWS, a source on the École Yabné staff said that the low grades are a statistical deviation from the normal average, in a way that "we cannot explain.”

Following the allegations of discrimination, the French Ministry of Education, headed by Minister of Education, Nicole Belloubet, opened an investigation, which surprisingly, was concluded in less than 24 hours, when the Minister announced that "the investigation found that the high school students did not suffer from discrimination." According to the Ministry of Education, even non-Jewish students received low grades and there is no clear evidence of antisemitism.

Despite the claims of the Ministry of Education, the administration of École Yabné and the students' parents continue to demand a comprehensive and transparent investigation. According to Patrick Klugman, the high school students’ legal representative, the low grades received this year have never happened in previous years, and the school generally receives honors in graduation. Klugman argued against the speed of the investigation and the superficial manner in which it dealt with the allegations. According to him, "the investigation was ordered and carried out in less than 24 hours," and there is a need for an in-depth and transparent investigation against the claims of discrimination and antisemitism.