French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday replaced his education minister after a series of controversies, seeking to regain momentum for the final phase of his presidency under prime minister Gabriel Attal, reports FRANCE 24.
Macron reshuffled the cabinet with a tilt to the right on January 11 after naming Attal, 34, as France's youngest and first openly gay prime minister.
One of the key moves was putting former French junior tennis champion Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, already serving as sports minister, in charge of a super ministry comprising both sports and education.
But a series of controversies -- including her insistence that she sent one of her children to a private school because of lost teaching hours -- put her under pressure within hours of being appointed.
The presidency announced that she would be replaced by former justice minister Nicole Belloubet.
Belloubet, 68, a mild-mannered law professor, is seen as a safe choice to handle one of the most delicate posts in French politics.
However, Oudéa-Castéra kept her old role as sports minister, meaning she will keep her responsibility for the Olympic Games later this year.