Reported by Mustapha Omolabake Omowumi, Managing Editor | Sele Media Malawi.
PARIS, FRANCE — About 400 schools and other educational establishments across France are expected to remain closed as a nationwide protest movement by high school students intensifies over concerns about long school hours, teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school infrastructure.
The closures, announced by French Education Minister Édouard Geffray, follow a week of increasingly disruptive demonstrations that began in the Paris region before spreading to cities across the country.
The protests, involving mainly teenagers attending France’s lycées, have moved from school blockades and demonstrations to clashes with police, fires and damage to public property in some locations. French authorities have responded with increased security deployments while also shifting some classes online to allow students to continue their education away from areas affected by unrest.
Reuters reported on Friday that a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments were expected to remain closed. The figure was confirmed by Geffray during an interview with French broadcaster France 2.
The demonstrations have also resulted in a substantial number of arrests and injuries. Reuters reported that around 2,000 people had been arrested as the protests spread, while other reports have provided different figures depending on the period and whether arrests, detentions or people placed in police custody are being counted.
Student grievances centre on school conditions
The movement began with complaints about conditions in French secondary schools, particularly the shortage of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, lengthy schedules and inadequate school infrastructure.
Students have also raised concerns about classrooms becoming excessively hot during recent heatwaves and the broader pressure associated with the French secondary education system.
Reports from the protests indicate that some students have been using school entrances and surrounding areas to stage blockades, preventing normal classes from taking place.
Euronews reported that students had protested against overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, overloaded timetables and deteriorating facilities. The outlet also reported that high school students in France commonly begin classes around 8 a.m. and may remain at school until late afternoon.
The grievances have consequently focused not only on the physical condition of schools but also on the organisation and demands of the education system.
At demonstrations in Paris, students have expressed frustration over what they regard as excessive academic schedules and insufficient attention to the pressures facing young people.
The protests have also highlighted concerns about the shortage of teachers, which can affect class sizes, lesson continuity and the workload carried by existing teaching staff.
Protests spread beyond Paris
The movement initially emerged in the Paris region before spreading to other parts of France.
By the end of September, demonstrations and school blockades had been reported in cities including Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
Euronews reported on September 29 that teenagers had set fire to rubbish bins and thrown objects during clashes with police in several cities, while school entrances were blocked in other locations.
The escalation has made the situation more difficult for education authorities, who must balance students’ right to protest with the responsibility to protect learners, teachers and school property.
On Thursday, October 1, incidents became more serious in several locations, with fires reported at schools and clashes involving police.
Reuters reported that protesters started fires at at least two high schools on Thursday, while teachers at another school in Marseille were inadvertently splashed with petrol. A vehicle was also set on fire in Strasbourg, while riot police clashed with young people in Toulouse.
The incidents prompted the Education Ministry to take additional measures to protect students and staff.
Government moves classes online
With the demonstrations becoming increasingly disruptive, Education Minister Geffray instructed schools affected by the unrest to provide classes remotely where necessary.
The measure is intended to allow students to continue their studies while reducing their exposure to potentially dangerous situations around school premises.
Geffray also appealed to parents to prevent children from placing themselves in danger during the demonstrations.
The Irish Times reported that the education minister said violence should not prevent students from exercising their right to education and that schools would shift to online learning where necessary.
The move represents a significant development in the protests because it shows the extent to which the unrest has disrupted normal educational activities.
Rather than simply affecting individual schools, the demonstrations have increasingly created a nationwide public-safety and education-management challenge.
Dozens of education workers injured
The unrest has also affected school staff.
Reports published during the week indicated that dozens of members of staff had been injured during incidents associated with the protests.
ITV News reported that Education Minister Geffray said 65 members of staff had been injured.
The Guardian separately reported that around 40 school principals had been injured and that approximately 100 schools had suffered serious damage, according to figures from the French education authorities.
The differences between the figures reflect the fact that the situation has been developing rapidly and that reports may cover different categories of staff or different points in time.
Nevertheless, the reports indicate that the protests have moved beyond peaceful school demonstrations in some locations and have created direct risks for teachers, school administrators, police and students.
Arrests rise as authorities respond
French police have detained large numbers of people during the demonstrations.
AFP reported on September 30 that security forces had detained more than 600 people in a single day as high school blockades and clashes intensified. The agency said the demonstrations involved students aged approximately 15 to 18, who attend lycées during the final three years of secondary education.
Reuters subsequently reported that around 2,000 people had been arrested as the movement expanded.
Other international reports have cited higher detention figures depending on the timeframe and terminology used. The Guardian, for example, reported that nearly 3,000 lycée students had been detained since the beginning of the protests, including 1,949 on Thursday alone, citing the French Interior Ministry.
For clarity, these figures should not automatically be treated as contradictory totals because arrests and detentions can be recorded at different stages of the legal process, while individual reports may also be published at different times.
The rapidly changing figures underline the scale of the security response as authorities attempt to prevent further violence while keeping educational services functioning.
Damage reported at schools and public facilities
The protests have also resulted in damage to school buildings and other public property.
The Guardian reported that about 100 schools had been severely damaged, while the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region estimated damage in its area at approximately €25 million.
The Independent reported that a school in Nantes was set ablaze and that another school in Le Havre suffered fire damage.
Such incidents have added a financial dimension to the dispute, as public authorities face the cost of repairing buildings and replacing damaged infrastructure at a time when students are already protesting over the condition of schools.
The damage also threatens to compound some of the problems cited by demonstrators.
Students protesting deteriorating infrastructure are now seeing some educational facilities damaged during the unrest, potentially creating additional disruption to learning and placing further pressure on education authorities.
Political claims surrounding the movement
The protests have also become part of a wider political debate in France.
According to Reuters, people close to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said intelligence agencies told a government crisis meeting that politicians from the hard left, including members of La France Insoumise, had helped initiate the protest movement.
A lawmaker from La France Insoumise, Louis Boyard, denied the allegation when speaking to French broadcasters.
These claims remain contested and should be distinguished from the underlying education-related grievances expressed by students.
The protests began around school conditions and subsequently expanded into a broader movement involving different groups and locations.
French authorities have also expressed concern that people who are not genuine students may be participating in or contributing to violent incidents.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has urged prosecutors to pursue legal action in cases involving violence and damage, while the government has sought to maintain public order around schools.
The political dimension is significant because France is preparing for a presidential election, but the immediate issue for schools remains the restoration of safe educational environments.
Students continue to demand better learning conditions
Despite the violence reported in some areas, the central demands expressed by student protesters continue to focus on education.
Among the issues raised are long school days, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and the pressure placed on students by the education system.
A report by Euronews cited student concerns about overloaded schedules, inadequate staffing and overheated classrooms following recent heatwaves.
The protests therefore raise questions about how France’s education system is responding to the needs of a large secondary-school population.
For students, the dispute is about more than classroom hours. Their demands point to broader concerns about educational resources, the availability of teachers and the physical environment in which learning takes place.
For government authorities, however, maintaining school safety and protecting public infrastructure remain immediate priorities.
Crisis meeting convened by Prime Minister
The escalating unrest prompted Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to convene a crisis meeting involving senior government officials.
The move reflects growing concern within the government about the scale of the demonstrations and the violence accompanying some of the school blockades.
The Associated Press reported that Lecornu called a crisis meeting and cancelled planned ministerial travel so that the government could focus on the developing situation.
The government’s response has combined policing measures with efforts to keep education operating through remote learning where physical attendance is considered unsafe.
Education authorities are also expected to engage with student representatives as officials attempt to understand and respond to the grievances driving the demonstrations.
Education disrupted across the country
The closure of approximately 400 schools represents one of the clearest indicators of the scale of the disruption.
For students and families, school closures can create challenges involving childcare, examinations, transport and continuity of learning.
For teachers and school administrators, the situation creates additional pressure because they must continue supporting students while dealing with safety concerns and damaged facilities.
The introduction of remote learning may provide a temporary alternative, but it cannot fully replace the normal school environment for every student.
France’s experience also demonstrates how disputes over education policy and school conditions can rapidly become wider public-order issues when large numbers of young people participate in demonstrations.
The immediate challenge for French authorities is to restore safe access to schools while addressing the concerns that brought students onto the streets.