France promises to send 3,000 teachers to schools amid protests — Cyprus Mail

In France, the government has promised to immediately send around 3,000 qualified teachers who have not yet started work to schools to fill staffing gaps. Student unions called this the first significant result of protests that have been continuing for a third week, Cyprus Mail reports.

According to France's Ministry of Education, 141 educational institutions remained closed in the country. Student and teacher unions called for the next nationwide school strike on Tuesday.

Blockades at Paris universities

The protests also spread to universities. On Friday, police cleared a blockade at Assas University in central Paris, one of France's leading institutions for legal education. Blockades also disrupted the operations of the Mines Paris engineering school.

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The private Catholic Institute reported switching to remote learning because its campus was blocked. Some university students joined the movement, expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the education system and spending cuts amid the country's budget difficulties.

Teacher shortage and budget constraints

Education Minister Édouard Geoffray said the decision takes effect immediately and will cost several tens of millions of euros. According to the ministry, nearly 10% of teaching hours in France's public high schools are unfilled.

The Interior Ministry said that 71,500 people took to the streets in Paris and other cities on Thursday. Most demonstrations were peaceful, though violence was recorded in some places. A fire broke out at a school in the city of Poitiers, while cases of vandalism and attacks on education workers were also reported.