Starting at a Lycée in Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry, a suburb of Paris, protests have become a nationwide movement across France. On 6 October, more than a quarter of a million people joined in on protests across France, in support of schools pupils' demands for reform of the education system and more funding.
Students are protesting to raise attention to the lack of investments and minimal budgets, resulting in poor infrastructure, overcrowded classes, and an inability to recruit and retain staff.
In France, the average age of school buildings in France is 60 years old...
In France, the average age of school buildings in France is 60 years old, with reports of leaking taps, collapsed ceilings, and infestations of pests, leaving many institutions in need of urgent, but costly, repairs.
At the start of October, a 15-year-old student's hand was blown off during a confrontation with the police.
The movement has been marked by mainly peaceful demonstrations and blockades outside the entrance of schools. There has also been violent clashes between police and protesters. At the start of October, a 15-year-old student's hand was blown off during a confrontation with the police. In some cases, reports of violence have been louder than the calls and concerns of the students.
Mass protest and strikes is a part of the fabric of France's history and national identity. Yet, we also see a simular pattern of poor investment in education, across the Channel, too.
In the UK, public spending on education, as a proportion of national income, has fallen from 5.6% of national income in 2010-11, to 4.1% in 2024-25.
As reported by The Guardian, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) has emphasised the need for investment to combat rising temperatures in the classrooms, after this summer's extreme heat. Additionally, the union has highlighted the teacher retention crisis in England, noting the country has 'among the worst attrition rates among developed nations'.