Najat Vallaud-Belkacem: All You Should Know About The Shepherd Girl Who Became A Minister In France

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 as well as many struggles. The Moroccan girl who had no knowledge whatsoever of French had by the end of her first year in college learnt the language. Here are a few facts about the minister.

At a time when immigrants were tagged as vagabonds, a 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 about her:

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

In 2002, She graduated from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies).

Growing Up

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 she met Boris Vallaud, a fellow student, and the two married in 2005.

Marital Life

At the Institut,  she met and marrried  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 adviser to the Socialist Party. In 2005 and 2006 she was a columnist for the cultural programme 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, promotion of citizen rights, and access to employment and housing.

Religion

She describes herself as a non-practicing Muslim.

It is noteworthy that a recent research showed that Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has become the second most popular politician in France.