Unveiling a new education programme, Hollande said school work should "be done at school, rather than at home", to foster educational equality because some students do not have support at home.

He also however advocated a return to the four-and-a-half-day school week from the current four-day week in place in most French schools.

Following his election in May, Socialist Hollande has vowed to make education a key focus of his five-year term and outlined his proposals in the speech on Tuesday.

He also proposed reducing the number of students forced to repeat grades, increasing teacher levels, schooling children at younger ages in disadvantaged areas and boosting measures to fight absenteeism.