Protests by secondary-school students in France have expanded, leading to the full or partial suspension of classes at hundreds of institutions, as demonstrators demand increased education funding, improved study conditions and action to address shortages of teachers and staff.
Classes suspended at 891 institutions
The developments followed an announcement by French Education Minister Édouard Geffray that between 400 and 500 secondary schools would suspend classes fully or partially on Monday because safety conditions were not in place, with lessons gradually resuming at institutions where conditions allowed.
Students demand better educational conditions
Students are primarily demanding replacement teachers when regular teachers are absent, smaller class sizes, repairs to ageing buildings and facilities, and changes to timetables. Protesters also complain of long school days, lengthy gaps between lessons and short lunch breaks, as well as difficulties linked to the Parcoursup university admissions platform.
Tuesday saw marches in Paris, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Rennes, Nîmes and other cities, along with entrances to several secondary schools being blocked and higher education institutions joining the actions. France’s Interior Ministry said around 256,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide, including 56,000 in Paris.
Organisers, by contrast, estimated turnout at around 450,000 across France, including 100,000 in the capital. The protests and associated clashes resulted in 488 arrests and 43 members of the security forces being injured, according to the Interior Ministry’s tally.
Participating students said their actions were intended to draw attention to conditions in educational institutions, calling for a distinction to be made between them and people involved in acts of vandalism. The movement began at Saint-Exupéry secondary school in Créteil, on the outskirts of Paris, in support of the school’s teachers, who had protested staff and resource shortages, before spreading to other areas and becoming a nationwide protest movement.
Students and unions call for concrete measures
The Education Minister met secondary-school student representatives on Friday, but the representatives said afterwards that they had received no concrete measures and called for the mobilisation to continue. Teachers’ unions also announced their support for demands concerning shortages of resources and teachers and deteriorating study conditions.
As part of an effort to respond to the protests, the French government announced five areas of action covering continuity of lessons, addressing long-term teacher absences and vacant posts, improving buildings in coordination with regional councils, reorganising the school day, increasing transparency around Parcoursup, and strengthening students’ participation in decisions affecting their school lives.
Government sets timetable for reforms
The government measures include prioritising replacements in examination classes, specialist subjects and vocational programmes, shortening the time taken to appoint replacement teachers, and establishing arrangements to make up lessons that have not been delivered over long periods. The first decisions linked to these areas, together with their timetables and funding, are due to be presented before the end of October.
The government also said the draft 2027 budget included an increase of 1.2 billion euros in education funding compared with 2026, with some of the work directed towards improving classroom equipment, sanitation facilities, heating, canteens and boarding accommodation, as well as preparing for heatwaves inside school buildings.
Under the government plan, changes will be considered to timetables running from 8am to 6pm, long gaps between lessons and short lunch breaks, in consultation with school staff, student representatives and the authorities responsible for transport. Initial improvements are expected to be presented when classes resume after the autumn holiday.
