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French students have been protesting against inadequate educational resources for more than a month and dozens of high schools were blocked today. Although the government has proposed reform plans, student groups are still dissatisfied and are preparing to expand their actions with labor unions and social groups.
French students have been protesting for more than a month to fight for educational resources and today they blocked dozens of high schools. The United High School Students Organization (USL) said: “(The mobilization) will not stop until our 10 demands are met.”
Ministry of Education Data show that as of 9:30 a.m., 41 out of about 3,700 high schools across the country were on lockdown.
In October, student groups asked the government to implement 10 emergency measures to respond to high school and college students’ discontent, such as renovating school buildings, reforming curriculum, and increasing manpower in education, health care, and tuition.
The government proposed response measures last week, including increasing the education system’s manpower, limiting the number of students per class to 28, adding 15,000 higher education places and gradually replacing Parkoursup, the university application delivery system that has been criticized by students, by 2028. But student groups were not satisfied and continued to call for mobilization.
In an interview with FranceInfo this morning, USL joint general secretary Marius Mesnil called on students to unite and discuss together, with hopes of further expanding the action tomorrow.
Apart from this, the High School and College Students Federation is also expected to join the union mobilization on November 5. Major trade unions have called for a general strike on the 5th, and the “Yellow Vest” movement is preparing to reconvene on the 7th to protest against the rising cost of living and the declining quality of public services.
Education Minister Edouard Geuffre said only a few high schools are currently on lockdown, mainly in the greater Paris region, northern France, and the large city of Toulouse in the south. He reminded that this year is important for high school students who have not been to class for several weeks and are preparing to take their graduation exams. “Everyone has the freedom to protest, but students cannot be stopped from going to class.”
But Manny responded: “To pass the HKCEE, you must have teachers and school buildings with a good environment, and that’s what we want… If the minister wants us to go back to classrooms, it depends on how he responds.”
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu may meet again with high school student representatives next week to assess commitments, difficulties in implementation and subsequent decisions, the French Prime Minister’s Office said today.
Summary FAQ
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Students are primarily looking for more educational resources, including renovating school buildings, adjusting the curriculum, and increasing education, medical care, and counseling manpower. He expects the government to propose specific and immediate reform measures.
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As of 9:30 a.m., 41 out of about 3,700 high schools across the country were locked down, according to Education Ministry data. The Education Ministry says this is still a small number, but student groups are calling for further action.
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The government has proposed measures such as increasing manpower, limiting each class to 28 people and adding 15,000 higher education places. However, students believe that the problem has not really been solved, and they are particularly dissatisfied with the Parkoursup system, so they continue to mobilize.
