Unpacking the Grievances Behind France’s Widespread School Protests

Since late September, students across France have staged protests against systemic underfunding in the education sector, actively blocking access to numerous high schools across the nation.

In several instances, the protests have escalated into violence, resulting in hundreds of injuries among students, teachers, and law enforcement officers. Security measures have led to the arrest of thousands of individuals, including an unknown number of outside agitators.

Demonstrators are voicing grievances over severe teacher shortages and deteriorating infrastructure in the country’s lycées, secondary schools serving students aged 15 to 18.

“Sometimes our teachers are absent for weeks on end without being replaced,” Madalena, a student in Paris, told the BBC on Tuesday, as demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of participants nationwide. She added that her school buildings became “boiling hot” during the recent heatwaves.

A host of other complaints have also emerged. Some students resent the ban on mobile phones or school schedules extending until 18:00. “You get home at 7:00 p.m. and have no time to sleep or do your homework,” one lycéen told France 2.

Additionally, France’s centralized online platform for higher education admissions, Parcoursup, remains a major point of contention.

These frustrations run deep, rooted in systemic educational shifts. Approximately 80% of each student cohort now passes the baccalauréat, which guarantees university placement, though not necessarily for their preferred courses. This has triggered an intense scramble for desirable programs, heightening anxiety surrounding the widely criticized, opaque Parcoursup platform.

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