Cité Internationale: a double pedagogical challenge

Rachid, a 6th grade student, carefully puts his belongings in a personal locker upstairs. The new side of the school, which opened in September, inspires evident respect after years spent in a dilapidated school in Marseille that is now being renovated. His mother, a hijab hiding her hair, looks with affection at what may be the first ticket in the social ladder of this first-generation immigrant family. "We come from another district; it's not easy to drive him here daily, but it's worth it. It is a prestigious establishment. And our son deserves this, he has worked a lot in class."  she said

Isabelle Négrel, the school's principal, evokes "20 nationalities, from neighboring countries, from all the districts of Marseille, the Academie (administrative unit in the French scholar map, Tahiti, Havana, from the four corners of the world."

An Asian family, deeply invested in their child's education, looks astonished by the puzzle of the inauguration ceremony. The father is a high executive at CMA CGM, the world's third-largest shipowner. The CMA CGM Tower dominates the city's skyline. While all the students are top-ranked, one might wonder how a "top" student from the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Marseille compares academically to a child of an executive, often with an international background, who lives on the outskirts of Euroméditerranée. The educational response is typically tailored to each individual, with some students likely receiving support through extracurricular classes. The Rectorate, which oversees the Academie, is prepared for this scenario and ensures that each student receives personalized support. In its presentation, it states: “Considering the diversity of the student population and the standards expected in the international section, we are committed to addressing the needs of each student."

The initial Euro-Mediterranean project envisioned a scenario with numerous international companies establishing themselves in the surrounding area. Laure-Agnès Caradec, the current president of EuroMed, expressed her hope that by the next decade, students completing K-12 at the Cité scolaire would possess a strong command of a foreign language. Following their schooling, these students would pursue specialized studies at Aix-Marseille University, equipping them with the skills necessary to secure important positions within the network of established companies, thereby encouraging them to remain in Marseille.