Youth protests over problems in France’s education system continued after the autumn break. On Tuesday, several universities were closed, while the government said students had blocked 48 secondary schools. A student association put the number at 500. In Paris, several thousand young people took part in an unauthorised demonstration in the city centre.
Suzanne Nijdam, head of the country’s largest student association, said protesters wanted the government to see that universities remained mobilised and expected concrete answers. The government had reported that 15% of universities were affected by protest actions on Monday. It also counted 41 school blockades that day, compared with 169 reported by a student association. In several incidents, rubbish bins were set on fire.
Schools affected on Tuesday included secondary schools in Paris, Rennes and Toulouse. In Toulouse, 16-year-old student Soline said promised reforms had so far amounted to very little. Teachers joined students outside her school. Maths teacher Raphaël Gironimi said they shared the students’ demands, pointing to classes of 35 pupils and buildings that were not equipped for either heatwaves or winter cold.
Since the protests began in mid-September, the government has pledged to reform the contested university admissions system, add 500 teaching posts and create 15,000 university and vocational training places. It also said classes in the tenth grade should have no more than 28 students. Student associations have said the measures are insufficient.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said nearly 5,000 people had been taken into police custody in connection with violence at demonstrations since mid-October; 30% were minors. Around 330 people were jailed, either while awaiting trial or following fast-track proceedings. Three minors were also arrested on Tuesday over a fire at the entrance hall of a school in Nantes.
Unions have called for nationwide strikes and demonstrations on Thursday, potentially affecting schools and a range of other sectors. National rail operator SNCF warned of minor disruption to long-distance services and more significant disruption to regional services. Several youth organisations have also called for protests that day.
French secondary-school students have been protesting since mid-September against conditions in schools and the opaque allocation of university places through a central online platform. The demonstrations have drawn in others, including people protesting rising living costs.
Sources: Der Spiegel.