No minister dedicated solely to higher education for this government, but rather a delegated minister: Philippe Baptiste. The latter will work withElisabeth Borneappointed Minister of State, Minister of National Education and ESR by François Bayrou, this Monday, December 23, 2024.
At 52 years old, Philippe Baptiste already has a lot of baggage behind him. But then, who is this man? What is his background in the world of education and teaching? What does the title of Minister Delegate responsible for ESR entail? Decryption!
From Mines to the Sorbonne: a scientific man
Contrary to what one might think of people who enter government, not everyone follows the path of a classic politician. Thus, Philippe Baptiste did not study at Science Po or the ENA. He holds a civil engineer diploma from the Nancy School of Mines (1994) and a MSc (master of science) from the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom (1994).
Thirsty for knowledge, the multifaceted man does not stop there: he also holds a doctorate from the University of Technology of Compiègne (1998), of a DEA (diploma of advanced studies) obtained at Sorbonne University as well as a authorization to direct research (2002).
All this led him, in 1999, to join the CNRS (national scientific research center) as researcher. From 2000 to 2001, he set up shop at IBM's Watson Research Center and continued his path in the world of science.
To pass on everything he was able to learn during his journey, Philippe Baptiste also goes through the hut of teaching. He is teacher at École Polytechnique from 2022 to 2012 and directs the computer science laboratory there. Finally, he created the Institute of Information Sciences and their Interactions.
From president of CNES to minister delegate
Philippe Baptiste took his first steps in politics in 2013. He joined the Ministry of National Education as head of strategy and innovation department at the General Directorate of Research and Innovation.
He obviously does not put his scientific career aside. In 2014, he became ddeputy general director of the CNRS et scientific director, Then CTO of the TotalEnergies group from 2016 to 2017. That same year, he joined the Ministry of Higher Education and Research as chief of staff of former minister Frédérique Vidal. Finally, in November 2019, he joined the government of Édouard Philippe as advise.
His activities in politics are always coupled with science. It becomes « Partner and Director » from the Boston Consulting Group in 2020 and President of CNES (National Center for Space Studies) in 2021. Today, a completely different status is being offered to him: that of Minister Delegate in charge of Higher Education and Research, alongside Élisabeth Borne, Minister of National Education and ESR.
Tackling the education project
What awaits Philippe Baptiste is not easy. Even though he has already gone through Matignon in recent years, the world of higher education is in major upheaval and the expectations of the student community are increasingly greater. Between student precariousness, housing, university budget deficits, reduction in learning aid and even regularization of training in private higher education: it is a real project that the Minister Delegate responsible for ESR is tackling.
The minister will also have to look at the famous national post-baccalaureate admission platform Parcoursup, often the target of criticism. Improve it? Change it? According to students and many unions, big changes need to be made to facilitate the integration of young people into the world of higher education.
