ThecultureofFranceandoftheFrenchpeoplehasbeenshapedbygeography,byprofoundhistoricalevents,andbyforeignandinternalforcesandgroups.France,andinparticularParis,hasplayedanimportantroleasacenterofhighcultureandofdecorativeartssincetheseventeenthcentury,firstinEurope,andfromthenineteenthcenturyon,worldwide.Fromthelatenineteenthcentury,Francehasalsoplayedanimportantroleincinema,fashionandcuisine.TheimportanceofFrenchculturehaswaxedandwanedoverthecenturies,dependingonitseconomic,politicalandmilitaryimportance.Frenchculturetodayismarkedbothbygreatregionalandsocioeconomicdifferencesandbystrongunifyingtendencies. 　　Education 　　TheFrencheducationalsystemishighlycentralised,organised,andramified.Itisdividedintothreedifferentstages: 　　primaryeducation(enseignementprimaire);secondaryeducation(collègeandlycée);andhighereducation(l'université)(orlesGrandesécoles). 　　Primaryandsecondaryeducationispredominantlypublic(privateschoolsalsoexist,inparticularastrongnationwidenetworkofprimaryandsecondaryCatholiceducation),whilehighereducationhasbothpublicandprivateelements.Attheendofsecondaryeducation,studentstakethebaccalauréatexam,whichallowsthemtopursuehighereducation.Thebaccalauréatpassratein1999was78.3%. 　　In1999–2000,educationalspendingamountedto7%oftheFrenchGDPand37%ofthenationalbudget. 　　SincetheJulesFerrylawsof1881-2,namedafterthethenMinisterofPublicInstruction,allstate-fundedschools,includinguniversities,areindependentfromthe(RomanCatholic)Church.Educationintheseinstitutionsisfree.Non-secularinstitutionsareallowedtoorganizeeducationaswell.TheFrencheducationalsystemdiffersstronglyfromNorthern-EuropeanandAmericansystemsinthatitstressestheimportanceofpartakinginasocietyasopposedtobeingresponsiblyindependent. 　　SeculareducationalpolicyhasbecomecriticalinrecentissuesofFrenchmulticulturalism,asinthe"affairoftheIslamicheadscarf". 　　WhiletheFrenchtracethedevelopmentoftheireducationalsystemtoNapoléon,themoderneraofFrencheducationbeginsattheendofthenineteenthcentury.JulesFerry,alawyerholdingtheofficeofMinisterofPublicInstructioninthe1880s,iswidelycreditedforcreatingthemodernRepublicanschool(l'écolerépublicaine)byrequiringallchildrenbetweentheagesof6and12-boysandgirls-toattend.Healsomadepublicinstructionmandatory,freeofchargeandsecular(laïque).Withtheselaws,knownasJulesFerrylaws,andseveralothers,theThirdRepublicrepealedmostoftheFallouxLawsof1850-1851,whichgaveanimportantroletotheclergy.