Hundreds of high schools in France are set to close on Tuesday due to a teachers’ strike, as educators join a student protest movement demanding increased education funding. The main demonstration is planned in Paris, The Japan Times reports.
The protests began in September in the Paris region and gained momentum last week, with hundreds of blockades taking place, some accompanied by fires and clashes with police. Participants are demanding smaller class sizes, repairs to school buildings and changes to the university admissions allocation system.
Leading trade unions, including Unsa, CFDT and CGT, called for the strike. On Monday, around 400 of approximately 3,700 French high schools were closed or operating with disruptions. An Odoxa poll for Le Figaro showed that 62% of French people support the student mobilization.
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The government said the unrest had escalated into urban violence and accused the far left of being involved in the movement. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told TF1 that around 5,000 people were detained during last week’s unrest, 85% of them minors.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sent ministers a letter on Sunday calling on them to prepare proposals concerning the issues raised by students. In its initial budget draft, the government allocated an additional €1.2 billion for education spending next year. At the same time, authorities are seeking to cut public spending to reduce the budget deficit to 5% of GDP in 2027.
