French High School Protests Escalate, 400 Schools Closed

Minister of National Education Édouard Geoffroy is preparing for meetings with representatives of student, parent, and teacher organizations, while the Minister of Interior condemned the violence at protest sites and issued directives to regional prefects to prepare.

The protest site in front of Le Corbusier High School in Aubervilliers is currently maintaining a calm atmosphere.

Many teachers are directly participating in the protests, fully agreeing with the students' demands and actively expressing their support by distributing flyers detailing the students' requests.

Students are expressing dissatisfaction with excessive class schedules, which run from 8 AM to 6:40 PM, and inefficient timetables with long gaps in between.

Due to overcrowded classrooms accommodating more than 35 students, students face the inconvenience of having to bring desks and chairs from other classrooms, and they also pointed out issues with outdated school facilities, such as non-functioning heating in winter.

The lack of timely replacement for absent teachers, leading to gaps in instruction, was also cited as a major problem.

Students expressed the opinion that these meetings were arranged somewhat late, and the atmosphere suggests they do not have high expectations for the outcome of these discussions.