Student protests in France are expected to intensify from Monday, with representatives warning that several high schools and universities could be blocked after dismissing the government’s proposed measures as insufficient.
Pierre Sourzat, head of the student group “Lycéens!”, said some schools would face blockades on Monday, when students return from a two-week break, with demonstrations expected to escalate on Tuesday.
“We support all our peers who will be blocking schools tomorrow,” Sourzat told RMC television.
The protest movement initially emerged among high school students opposing the rising cost of living, deteriorating conditions in education and social inequality.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people, including school and university students, took to the streets across France for the third consecutive weekend of demonstrations.
A day earlier, Sabrine Kharbach, a representative of the Student Union, announced plans for school and university blockades on Tuesday and Thursday.
The French government has presented a package of measures in response to the protesters’ demands. These include changes to the university admissions system and funding for school renovations.
However, students have rejected the proposals as inadequate. They are demanding more university places, improved learning conditions and smaller class sizes across all grades, rather than only in the first year of high school.
President Emmanuel Macron has also urged young people to allow classes to resume normally, saying their concerns have been heard.
Sourzat rejected that position, arguing that the government had not taken students’ concerns seriously.
Meanwhile, the government’s ability to meet the protesters’ demands through additional spending remains limited. France’s economy faces the risk of recession, while the country is under pressure to reduce its public debt.
The planned demonstrations could therefore add to the pressure on Macron’s government as it seeks to address growing discontent over education, living costs and public finances.
