Student unions in France called on Sunday for high school students to resume their protest movements, citing that the government's pledges regarding the education sector are "insufficient." The unions confirmed in a statement their call to return to organizing protest actions, including surrounding schools and blocking their entrances on November 3 and 5, against the backdrop of "insufficient pledges" announced by the Ministry of Education regarding the demands of high school students.
For his part, French Education Minister Edouard Philippe confirmed that the government will work on reducing student numbers in high school classrooms, pointing to the completion of procedures to hire 920 teachers on temporary contracts and opening more than 500 additional positions. Philippe also pledged to make amendments to the "Parcoursup" platform, used for applying to higher education institutions, by 2028.
The French minister indicated that the government will provide low-interest loans worth 4 billion euros until 2030, aimed at equipping schools with air conditioning and heating systems to help them adapt to climate change, especially since some schools experience very high temperatures in summer and very low temperatures in winter.
In the same context, Mathilde Panot, deputy head of the parliamentary group for the opposition party "La France Insoumise," which supports the protests, stated that the government's pledges do not meet the demands of high school students, describing them as a "drop in the ocean." Panot added that the government has not come close to meeting the request to allocate an additional budget of 10 billion euros for high schools and higher education institutions.
High school students in France have been organizing protests since September 17, demanding improved educational conditions, more resources for their schools, and an increase in the number of teachers. The protests, which also received support from university students and unions, saw the arrest of approximately 8,000 people.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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