France to Shut Over 400 Schools as Student Protests Resume

France to Shut Over 400 Schools as Student Protests Resume

More than 400 schools across France are expected to close fully or partially on Monday as the government prepares for another round of student demonstrations over worsening conditions in the country’s education system.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said between 400 and 500 schools would suspend lessons because adequate security conditions were not in place.

According to the minister, 24 schools have been damaged, looted or set on fire since the unrest began, while 78 members of education staff have suffered injuries.

The scale of Monday’s closures is expected to be similar to that recorded on Friday, although the government said it hoped schools would gradually resume normal teaching as security improves.

The protests began at a school in Paris on September 17 before spreading to other parts of the capital and several regions across France.

Thousands of students have since taken to the streets, blocking roads and school entrances while demanding greater government attention to problems affecting secondary education.

Demonstrators have raised concerns over overcrowded classrooms, ageing school buildings, inadequate teacher numbers and poor salaries for education workers.

Some students have also complained about deteriorating facilities, including leaking roofs, cockroach infestations, damaged ceilings and buildings in poor condition.

Other grievances centre on lengthy school days, staff shortages and the online university application system, which protesters describe as complicated and difficult to navigate.

Students have also pointed to rising classroom temperatures during heatwaves, particularly in schools without adequate cooling facilities.

The protests have, however, increasingly been marked by confrontations between demonstrators and security forces. Hundreds of people have reportedly been injured, while more than 5,000 arrests have been made, most involving minors.

Geffray said the government believed political groups had become involved in the student movement and were contributing to the violence.

He specifically accused far-left activists of exploiting the protests and turning some demonstrations into violent confrontations, warning that the development posed a serious threat to students and education workers.

The minister also said some teachers had been deliberately attacked, describing the incidents as unprecedented in the recent history of the unrest.

One of the latest incidents occurred on Friday in La Ciotat, a town on France’s southern coast, where a 59-year-old teacher was reportedly doused with petrol and assaulted during a protest.

Police detained a 16-year-old on Sunday in connection with the attack.

The unrest has placed additional pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, which has faced criticism over its handling of the education crisis and the growing demonstrations.

Although demonstrations eased during the weekend, organisers have called for fresh protests on Tuesday, arguing that the government has yet to present concrete steps to address their concerns.

The government has acknowledged that some of the students’ complaints are legitimate but has condemned the violence and destruction accompanying parts of the demonstrations.

The crisis has also coincided with growing pressure from trade unions, which organised nationwide industrial action last week over proposed budget reductions and demanded that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reconsider the government’s spending plans.

The CGT trade union has urged workers to maintain pressure through further demonstrations this week, including calls for measures that would increase taxation on France’s wealthiest citizens.

With schools preparing for renewed demonstrations, authorities face the difficult task of balancing students’ demands for better educational conditions with the need to protect pupils, teachers and school facilities from further violence.