Student Protests Spread Across France
As protests by French high school students over problems in the education system entered their third week, hundreds of schools across the country remained fully or partially closed. Students are protesting inadequate education funding, teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and deteriorating school buildings in need of maintenance.
The demonstrations initially emerged in one of Paris’s disadvantaged suburbs before quickly spreading to other parts of the country. In some areas, students blocked school entrances, while clashes broke out between protesters and police elsewhere. During the protests, a 15-year-old student suffered serious injuries in the northern French city of Lens. According to local reports, the teenager lost his hand and part of his lower arm after a police dispersal grenade exploded.
French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the government would address students’ concerns. The government is considering measures to tackle teacher shortages, improve physical conditions in schools, and introduce new measures to address problems students face in their education.