French Students Renew School Blockades as Government Opens Talks

**PARIS:** High school and university students renewed blockades and demonstrations across France on Thursday, October 8, as the government opened talks with student representatives over demands for more education funding, additional staff and better access to higher education.

The latest mobilisation, described by organisers as the fourth major day of action, disrupted hundreds of schools and drew demonstrators into streets across the country. In Paris, students barricaded the entrance to Helene Boucher high school with rubbish bins before police used tear gas to clear the area, according to the Associated Press.

The French Education Ministry said 375 schools were fully or partially closed during the day. The Interior Ministry later estimated that 71,500 people joined demonstrations nationwide, including 24,500 in Paris, while a further 55,000 took part in actions outside educational institutions. Officials reported 504 arrests during Thursday's mobilisation and said 48 police officers and gendarmes were injured.

Government invites student groups

Education Minister Edouard Geffray invited representatives of Union Syndicale Lyceenne, Renouveau Lyceen and Lyceens! to the Education Ministry for discussions. Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste was also expected to attend the meeting, according to French media reports.

The invitation followed a televised address by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who said the government would announce initial measures responding to students' concerns by the end of October. Student groups said that timetable did not provide the immediate commitments they were seeking.

Geffray also visited a school in Reims on Thursday for a discussion with students and staff. An official ministry notice described the visit as an opportunity for pupils to explain their difficulties and expectations.

The minister said he was preparing an emergency plan addressing the failure to replace absent teachers, one of the movement's central complaints. More than 50,000 submissions had also been made through a government consultation platform created to collect students' concerns.

Blockades spread beyond Paris

Several Paris schools were blocked, while some university campuses suspended teaching because of the disruption. Pantheon-Assas University cancelled morning classes after students established a blockade, and Lumiere Lyon 2 University closed three campuses for the day.

In Angers, firefighters extinguished burning rubbish bins near schools. Demonstrations were also held in Marseille, Lyon, Nantes and other cities. Unions including Snes-FSU, CGT, FO and Sud backed strikes and marches in support of greater investment in education.

At Place de la Bastille in Paris, clashes broke out late in the day after police encircled parts of the square. Officers used tear gas and a water cannon as some demonstrators threw projectiles, according to Le Monde's live coverage.

The demonstrations began in September over staffing shortages, unreplaced teachers, crowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings. They have since developed into a nationwide movement involving both secondary-school and university students.

Police have made more than 6,600 arrests since the protests began, most of them involving minors, the Interior Ministry told AP. Images of forceful police interventions and injuries to young demonstrators have added demands about policing to the movement's education-focused agenda.

Students seek broader changes

Student organisations are calling for immediate recruitment to fill teaching and support vacancies, repairs to unsafe or neglected buildings and increased resources for schools and universities.

Their proposals also include creating 250,000 additional places in higher education and ending selection through Parcoursup and Mon Master, the platforms used to manage admission to university and postgraduate courses. Supporters say the current system limits opportunity and places excessive pressure on applicants.

Ryad Rani, president of Union Syndicale Lyceenne, has asked to meet Lecornu and said the organisation has prepared costed proposals. The student groups say talks with ministers must produce concrete commitments rather than another consultation without a clear funding plan.

The government argues that violence and damage around some demonstrations cannot be accepted. Lecornu has criticised attacks on students, staff and police, as well as vandalism and the loss of teaching time. He has also accused some political figures of exploiting the movement ahead of France's presidential election.

Students and education unions, meanwhile, say isolated violence should not obscure concerns about conditions in schools. UNICEF France has called for de-escalation, protection of minors and respect for young people's right to demonstrate peacefully.

Talks become the next test

Thursday's mobilisation was smaller than the more than 250,000 people the government said demonstrated on Tuesday, but blockades and marches continued across the country. Organisers argue that the movement will persist until ministers offer measurable changes.

The government's next announcements will show whether talks can narrow the dispute. Immediate action on teacher absences could address one complaint, but the broader demands on staffing, buildings, admissions and university capacity would require larger policy and budget decisions.

For now, schools and universities remain at the centre of a political confrontation that has moved well beyond its starting point in the Paris suburbs.