High-school blockades continued on Thursday after Education Minister Edouard Geffray said he would launch a plan to replace absent teachers. The ministry said 157 schools were still closed at lunchtime.
French teenagers blockaded some high schools and marched on Thursday as protests over teacher shortages and worn school buildings entered a third week, Reuters reported. Education Minister Edouard Geffray, after meeting students and teachers in Reims, said he was launching an emergency plan to replace absent teachers and that heavy timetables were under review.
The education ministry said 224 schools were closed in the morning and 157 by lunchtime, so that 96 percent were open. Reuters said crowds marched in Paris, Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Toulon and Marseille. It described the marches as peaceful, with scuffles in Paris and Nantes and police using a water cannon in Rennes.
Protest leaders called for more marches next week. Reuters said a poll found 72 percent support for the students and 55 percent wanting the protests to stop. The government has acknowledged the complaints but, Reuters said, has given few specific details beyond the replacement plan.
The BBC reported that the movement, under way since late September, has turned violent in places, with hundreds of students, teachers and police injured and thousands arrested, including people it said were outside the schools. A Paris student, Madalena, told the BBC on Tuesday that teachers were sometimes absent for weeks and that buildings had been extremely hot in recent heatwaves.
Thursday’s new official step is Geffray’s emergency replacement plan and the ministry’s lower closure count. Reuters did not report a figure for new spending.
People Sentiments Negative
- Geffray said he was launching an emergency plan to replace absent teachers.
- A Paris student told the BBC teachers were sometimes absent for weeks.
- Reuters said a poll found 72 percent backed the students while 55 percent wanted the protests to stop.