French Education Minister Edouard Geffray has stated that the absolute priority is ensuring high school students can return to class following the All Saints' Day holiday break on November 2. While student and high school organizations have called for the continuation of a protest movement that began six weeks ago, the minister stressed on France Inter that while everyone is free to contest policies, no one should prevent classmates from attending lessons.
Geffray highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that hundreds of thousands of students facing their baccalaureate exams at the end of the year have missed four or five weeks of instruction. Regarding the current state of school blockades, the minister described the disruptions as residual, citing only a few affected schools in the Île-de-France region, the North, and one or two in Toulouse.
However, reports from various cities indicate active blockades. In Marseille, the entrance to Lycée Montgrand was blocked by stacked dumpsters, with militants reporting that approximately seven of the city's 75 schools were obstructed on Monday morning. In Toulouse, students at Lycée Berthelot had dismantled some blocking installations, while others gathered at Lycée des Arènes to prevent access. In Paris, Lycées Arago and Hélène-Boucher were blocked by over a hundred students, prompting the deployment of a mobile gendarmerie squadron between the school and a Ministry of the Interior outpost.
Addressing the root causes of the unrest, Geffray acknowledged that many student demands are legitimate and confirmed that the government is working to provide answers. Last week, alongside the Minister of Higher Education, he announced a series of measures aimed at ending the movement. These commitments include the gradual replacement of the Parcoursup platform by 2028, the cancellation of planned job cuts within the national education system, and the creation of 500 additional positions.
Further concessions involve capping second-year class sizes at 28 students and adding 15,000 places in higher education. Additionally, the Prime Minister has instructed the Education Minister to ensure responses are provided for the 200 most troubled high schools identified on a consultation platform, following an interministerial meeting held with regional representatives and students.
Sources: Le Monde.