The Grandes Écoles : an outdated system or a product for the future ?

What should be taught in the Grandes écoles (French higher education institutions with a competitive entrance examination) ? Should they encourage contact between students and professors and maintain their limited size, or grow in order to become more visible thus increasing their internal diversity ? What role should they play in the French system of higher education ? How can they become accessible and attract students from the entire French population ? What position should they take with respect to the American university model ? Do the Grandes écoles of engineering deserve to be an essential requirement for entry into business schools ? For the past two centuries, the Grandes écoles have been thriving in the French higher education system while coming under fire from critics. Globalisation is re-opening the debate. Four professionals and experts in the system discuss their own ideas, and give us a theoretical background on which to base our own observations.