French students close 49 schools in protest over education

Students in France closed the entrances of 49 high schools this Tuesday morning, protesting study conditions and demanding improvements in the country's education system.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted the French Ministry of Education as saying that the targeted schools represent a portion of the country's total of 3,700 high schools, noting that authorities expect thousands of students from schools and universities to participate in a demonstration in the capital, Paris, later today.

Unions call for escalating protests

Student and teacher unions had called in a joint statement issued yesterday, Monday, to intensify protest movements and continue pressuring the government. Meanwhile, Riad Rani, president of the French Student Union, emphasized that the demands are not limited to students but also include improving working conditions for teachers.

The French government announced a set of measures, including the gradual abandonment of the digital platform dedicated to guidance in higher education and allocating additional financial resources to support the most needy schools. However, these measures were not accepted by protesters and unions, who deemed them insufficient.

Unions reject wage increase and call for new strike

In this context, unions criticized the government's pledge to increase the minimum wage by 0.6 percent, describing the increase as limited, and called for a new day of strikes and protests on November 17.

These movements come amid the widening scope of protests in France since September last year, shifting from education-related demands to broader issues concerning the rising cost of living, wages, and working conditions.

Widespread protests and pressure on the government

The country witnessed protests and strikes last Thursday involving approximately 575,000 people, according to official estimates, while unions stated the number reached 1.5 million.

The French government faces economic and financial pressures to curb public debt, narrowing its room for maneuver to respond to social demands by increasing spending, as the country heads toward the presidential elections scheduled for 2027.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)