Once a four-year-old shepherd girl who tended goats and fetched water from the well, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem moved to France with her family to face the real world full of opportunities and struggles. The Moroccan girl who had no knowledge whatsoever of French learned the language by the end of her first year in college.
At a time when immigrants were tagged as vagabonds, this young girl lived her life beyond the opinions of her ‘dirt-poor’ background. Against all odds that rose against her, she has elevated herself from a humble background to becoming the first French woman ever to be appointed Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Research.
Here is a brief profile of Najat Vallaud-Belkacem:
Early Life
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, born on the 4th of October 1977, is the second in a family of seven children rooted in the Moroccan countryside in Bni Chiker.
Education and Career
In 2002, she graduated from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies).In 1982, she joined her father, a construction worker, with her mother and elder sister, Fatiha, and grew up in the suburbs of Amiens. Najat worked two jobs to take the financial load off her parents while pursuing her master’s in public administration. It is during this time that she met Boris Vallaud, a fellow student, and the two married in 2005.
Marital Life
At the Institut, she met and married Boris Vallaud on the 27th of August 2005.
Achievements
Elected to the Regional Council of Rhone-Alpes in 2004, she chaired the Culture Commission, resigning in 2008. In 2005, she became an adviser to the Socialist Party. From 2005 to 2006, she was a columnist for the cultural program C’est tout vu on Télé Lyon Municipale alongside Stéphane Cayrol.
On the 16th of May 2012, Najat was appointed to French President François Hollande’s cabinet as Minister of Women’s Rights and spokeswoman for the government.
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On the 25th of August 2014, she was the first French woman to be appointed Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Research, joining the Second Valls Government. She has been involved in leading actions to strengthen local democracy, the fight against discrimination, the promotion of citizen rights, and access to employment and housing.
Religion
She describes herself as a non-practicing Muslim. It is noteworthy that recent research showed that Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has become the second most popular politician in France.
