French pupils resume school blockades as country braces for more protests
Summary
Students blockaded high schools across France on Monday to demand more teachers, school repairs and better conditions, as unions prepared further campus protests and a nationwide strike later in the week. The education minister warned that weeks of missed lessons could jeopardize coursework and final exams for some pupils.Key Facts
- The education ministry reported that 41 high schools were blocked, about 1% of the national total; student unions estimated 150.
- Students used wheelie bins to barricade school entrances in Paris and suburbs, Lille, Toulouse and Marseille.
- University students’ unions planned more barricades on Tuesday.
- Trade unions called for a large-scale strike on Thursday, with rail workers, teachers and private-sector employees expected to join demonstrations.
- Students demanded more replacement teachers, repairs to school buildings and better access to higher education.
- Education Minister Édouard Geffray said some final-year pupils had missed four or five weeks of classes, counting the holiday, and warned that their school year was at risk.
- The government’s proposed measures included limits on some class sizes and a review of the university applications platform.
- In Montpellier, police arrested a 53-year-old school nurse at a barricade; the local prefect said she had insulted officers and resisted police.
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