Controversy follows reform plan for elite public servant school

Macron scraps plan to abolish his former school, but critics urge action on remaining issues

Leading French academics and commentators have slammed a decision by French president Emmanuel Macron to pedal back on plans to close the ENA, France’s prestigious École Nationale d’Administration.

The school, which educates civil servants, was widely expected to be scrapped in a report compiled by lawyer and former football league boss Frédéric Thiriez, who oversaw 260 consultations on the matter. However, the report, published last week, stopped short of calling for the ENA’s closure.