School protests resume in France on a smaller scale — Cyprus Mail

In France, protests by upper secondary school students resumed on Monday after a two-week break, but they were significantly smaller than in previous weeks. Students attempted to block only a few lycées in Paris, Marseille and Rennes, Cyprus Mail reports.

Blockades became isolated

Before the break, protesters had blocked hundreds of more than 3,000 French lycées. The movement, which began in September in the suburbs of Paris, spread across the country and went beyond education-related issues: protesters also raised the cost of living. Trade union members and activists joined the demonstrations, and they sometimes escalated into violence.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said that the current attempts at blockades are extremely limited in nature and concern only individual institutions. He stressed that protests are permitted, but obstructing access to schools is illegal. Television footage showed police officers near the lycées, but without full riot-control gear.

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Students' demands and government proposals

Students are demanding repairs to outdated schools, an increase in the number of teachers and places in higher education institutions, as well as the abolition of the university admissions system, which they consider socially unfair.

Last week, Geffray proposed limiting class sizes to 28 students, allocating €4 billion for school renovations, creating 15,000 new places in higher education and introducing a new admissions system by 2028. Representatives of upper secondary school students said these proposals were insufficient, so the protests would continue.

Last month, demonstrations in several French cities escalated into clashes with police and riots during which shops were looted.