French High School Students Plan New Protests Over School Funding
French high school students are preparing to stage a new round of demonstrations on Tuesday, extending a campaign that began in mid-September for better learning conditions and increased funding. The upcoming protests could mark a pivotal moment for the movement, which the government is hoping is already losing steam.
On Friday, authorities observed a sharp decline in the number of blockades and gatherings outside lycees, the schools where most students are between 15 and 18 years old. According to the education ministry, over 96 percent of these institutions were operating that day.
The government is particularly eager for the student unrest to subside because online campaigners have scheduled demonstrations for next Saturday against the high cost of living. For President Emmanuel Macron's administration, this evokes unsettling parallels with the Yellow Vest movement.
Those protests, which erupted in 2018 over a proposed fuel tax increase, involved large-scale demonstrations and violent clashes between police and participants that rattled Macron's first term.
• Concessions
The government is still assessing the financial toll of the high school protests. A government source informed journalists last week that damage from the demonstrations amounted to "at least 30 million euros".
On Friday, the justice ministry reported that over 6,800 individuals had been taken into custody since the protests began, with 86 percent of them being minors. Following confrontations between some demonstrators and riot police that left several students seriously hurt and drew criticism of police methods, the government halted the use of stun grenades, which had caused one student to lose a hand. Police are currently examining 18 allegations of misconduct among their officers.
Last week, the government introduced specific measures aimed at addressing the students' grievances. Education Minister Edouard Geffray said late Thursday that approximately 3,000 substitute teachers would be assigned in the coming days to fill in for absent staff at the 114 most affected high schools. On Sunday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pledged to adjust the proposed 2027 budget to tackle some of the demands raised on an online platform the government created to collect student input.
• 'Crumbs'
Nevertheless, the student groups spearheading the protests remain unconvinced. The Union of High School Students dismissed the earlier announcements last week as "crumbs". They continue to insist on an additional 10 million euros for investment in the country's lycees.
Meanwhile, France's 10,000 medical students are starting to worry about how ongoing school blockades might impact exams that begin Monday and help decide their future specialties. They are concerned that the student actions could interfere with this critical phase of their education.
Last Thursday's student demonstrations drew tens of thousands of participants across France, with interior ministry figures putting the number at 71,500. Nearly 256,000 people joined the previous Tuesday's day of action. A poll conducted by Ipsos-BVA and released on Sunday indicated that 54 percent of respondents supported the high school student protests. The respondents expressed the most sympathy for student complaints about oversized classes and the need to refurbish the country's deteriorating schools.
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