Student protests across France have continued since late September, with participants demonstrating against underfunding in education and blocking access to numerous high schools. The movement has seen hundreds of students, teachers, and police officers injured, and thousands of people arrested, including an unspecified number of external agitators.
The grievances cited by protesters include staff shortages and dilapidated facilities in lycées, which are schools for 15-18-year-olds. Madalena, a student in Paris, reported that teachers are sometimes absent for weeks without replacement and that school buildings were excessively hot during recent heatwaves. Other complaints include the ban on mobile phones and long school days, with one student telling France 2 that they get home at 7 pm with insufficient time for sleep or homework.
The online platform for higher education allocation, Parcoursup, is also a point of contention. While about 80% of each cohort now passes the baccalauréat, entitling them to a university place, this does not guarantee their preferred choice, leading to competition and anxiety surrounding Parcoursup, which many perceive as opaque.
According to an OECD report, the French government spends more per lycée student than the EU average for upper-secondary schools. While teacher shortages are acute, they are not worse than in other countries and are actually milder by OECD measures, though French teachers receive relatively low pay. Long school days are attributed more to extended lunch breaks and complex schedules than to short holidays.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has described the scale of the current movement as "unprecedented" in terms of the number of schools, pupils, and the level of violence. Blockading schools or universities by threats or force is illegal, leading to police involvement and clashes. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has stated that security forces are under orders to enforce the law, not to "confront high-school students."
The protests are supported by many teachers, labour unions, and left-wing politicians, with a poll for BMFTV indicating that 72% of French people view the demands as legitimate and 55% support the movement. Another rally is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.