We finally know the new Minister of National Education. As part of the formation of Sébastien Lecornu’s second government, Jean-Michel Blanquer’s right-hand man, Édouard Geffray, is taking the throne on Rue de Grenelle. He thus becomes the seventh Minister of National Education since 2022, succeeding a long list of predecessors: Pap Ndiaye, Gabriel Attal, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Nicole Belloubet, and not to forget Élisabeth Borne.

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A pure product of the senior civil service

Born on October 2, 1978, in Épinay-sur-Seine, Édouard Geffray embodies the classic path of a French senior civil servant. A graduate of Sciences Po and a former student of the École nationale d’administration (ENA) in 2005, he began his career at the Conseil d’État (Council of State).

His professional career then led him to strategic positions. He served as Secretary General of the CNIL from 2012 to 2017, and later became Chief of Staff to François Bayrou when the latter was Minister of Justice in 2017.

A key player in education policy under Blanquer

It was in the field of education that Édouard Geffray made a name for himself. He was appointed Director General of Human Resources at the Ministries of National Education and Higher Education before rising in 2019 to the strategic position of Director General for School Education (DGESCO).

In this role, he became Jean-Michel Blanquer’s right-hand man. He oversaw the implementation of the high school reform and managed the education system during the COVID-19 crisis. His tenure at the DGESCO—one of the ministry’s most influential departments—gave him an in-depth understanding of the inner workings of the French educational institution.

He left the DGESCO in 2024 to return to the Council of State, while continuing to work on education-related missions, notably on media literacy and the modernization of the “Ma Classe au cinéma” program.

An appointment in a fragile political context

This appointment comes amid a climate of governmental instability. The Lecornu government faces threats of censure from several political parties, including the National Rally and La France Insoumise, in a context where budgetary and educational challenges remain considerable.

With his seasoned technocratic background in the National Education system, Édouard Geffray will have to navigate these troubled waters while tackling the many pressing issues awaiting the ministry: improving teachers’ pay, reforming vocational high schools, fighting educational inequality, and addressing violence in schools.

The question remains whether this seventh minister in three years will have the time and political means to carry out his mission — or if he will simply be another fleeting presence on Rue de Grenelle.