France’s return to classes on Monday is taking place amid renewed tension, with high-school and student organizations seeking to continue a movement that began six weeks ago. Their calls come despite a package of measures announced by the government last week.
The entourage of President Emmanuel Macron said it hoped for a return to classrooms, following a third weekend of social mobilization that drew fewer demonstrators than earlier events. The presidency acknowledged that such movements rarely end clearly, but argued that the main demands raised by high-school students had received a response.
Among the measures cited by the government is a major change to Parcoursup from the 2027 school year, followed by its replacement in 2028. The government has also promised to cancel planned job cuts in national education, create 500 additional positions, cap second-year high-school classes at 28 students and add 15,000 places in higher education.
Student representatives nevertheless expect further disruption. Pierre Sourzat, president of Les Lycéens!, said high schools would be blocked from Monday. The Union syndicale lycéenne and the Union étudiante have called for new blockades on Tuesday and Thursday, while Unef has urged students to organize at universities on Monday and described Tuesday as a potential day of widespread disruption across universities and high schools.
Marius Mesnil, co-secretary general of the Union syndicale lycéenne, said the announcements represented initial successes but were not sufficient. He expected a large number of high-school blockades.
Coppélia Moreau of Interfac Île-de-France, a group bringing together students from university general assemblies, also said the anger had not subsided. The collective plans a new demonstration in Paris on Tuesday, between the Panthéon and the headquarters of the employers’ organization Medef.
The government has additionally asked the education minister to ensure that responses are provided to the 200 high schools identified as facing the greatest difficulties through a consultation platform. Youth organizations have described this as a first step, but maintain that it does not meet all of their demands.
Sources: Le Figaro.