On a much milder note, but with the same central conundrum, here is the introduction to Fragile Objects: Soft Matter, Hard Science, and the Thrill of Discovery, by Pierre-Gilles de Gennes and Jacques Badoz, Axel Reisinger (Translator)
SCHOOL STORIES
This book chronicles a journey through the high schools of France and overseas territories, all the way to the French Martinique.
I [de Gennes] had long felt the need to speak to high school students. But that proved impossible. I happen to be the director of what is called in France, a bit pompously, an institute of higher learning (une grande école): the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, in Paris. Had I proposed to a high school principal to give a lecture to his students, he would have replied, with some justification, that it would constitute covert propaganda for my institute, and a visit was, therefore, inadvisable.
But, as fate would have it, the Nobel Committee elected to award me a prize. As a result, from the end of 1991 on, I found myself invited to speak at high schools: most often at the direct initiative of the students themselves, sometimes under the umbrella of student associations, science clubs, etc., but also at the urging of some progressive teachers.
The underlined bold bit is rather political, don't you think?
