French students push government for more than ‘empty promises’

The wave of protests continued to sweep the country Tuesday despite government concessions on education and the minimum wage.PARIS (CN) — Thousands of students marched toward Paris’ Place d’Italie on Tuesday, bearing cardboard signs and chanting under the rain, after the government announced changes to education that critics said fall short of real reform.“The government is announcing much less than what we’re asking for,” Charlotte, a student standing along the sidelines of the demonstration, said. “There’s not enough in the budget for education … but we don’t look for money where it is — the government refuses to tax the richest."Students have been pushing for widespread educational reforms since mid-September, when a high school demonstration in the suburbs of Paris triggered a nationwide movement that continues to gain steam. Demands range from improving sanitary conditions to ensuring equal access to higher education.Viral videos on social media have shown exposed pipes, broken lavatories and rats running through hallways, while students have repeatedly denounced a lack of chairs in classrooms. Some students took exams in record-breaking temperatures this summer without air conditioning. Others report inadequate heating in the winter.“[We’re demonstrating for] another budget that takes the legitimacy of these demands into account,” said a teacher who asked to go by her first name, also Charlotte, during the march. “I saw students in 35-degree (95 F) buildings, taking exams when it was impossible to spend 30 minutes without feeling sick.”A sign reading "Flashball in the face since the truth comes from the mouths of children," referencing police violence, on Nov. 10, 2026. (Lily Radziemski/Courthouse News)Students are also fighting for more staff; in addition to creating new teaching positions — rather than contract jobs — unions want at least one nurse, psychologist and guidance counselor per 500 students at every school.Other proposals include redesigning schedules, increasing scholarships and housing benefits, boosting student involvement in governing boards and equalizing tuition between French and international students. The inter-union alliance also calls for an end to “all forms of repression related to the high school and university student movement,” and to “ensure that law enforcement officers guilty of violence are prosecuted.”A student who asked to remain anonymous elaborated young people’s demands: “More money for schools, and not only the privileged ones — and not to give to the police, because I see that they’ve brought drones outside. We’re just asking to do studies that can help us, without being a stress, and allow us to do what we want later.”The higher-education application platform Parcoursup has been a contentious issue since protests began. The app’s selection process is criticized for being opaque and discriminatory; students aren’t given a clear explanation of acceptances or rejections. The unions have asked for the platform to be dismantled, and for the government to create 250,000 new places in higher education institutions from 2027.“There’s huge inequality between central Paris and the suburbs,” Isa, a university student who asked to go by her first name, said during the march. “Universities belong to students, not the state.”A banner reading "For peace, dignity and justice; Not promises: Resources" on Nov. 10, 2026. (Lily Radziemski/Courthouse News)Students have won some concessions; on Oct. 26, the government released its first list. Parcoursup will be fully replaced by the 2028 academic year, while improvements would be made to accommodate students using the platform until then. Some classes are set to be capped at 28 students, and a roughly $4.5 billion loan package has been conceived for high school renovations.“It’s not at all at the level,” Charlotte, the teacher, said. “Instead of giving money to the regions, they’re loaning money.”The government also announced plans to open 500 teaching positions and 500 positions for psychologists, nurses and social workers, plus 15,000 additional places for students at higher education institutions. A one-hour lunch break would be guaranteed.Unions are demanding a more concrete action plan to address the demands.“They’re nothing but empty promises; they think they can buy social peace by giving us crumbs,” the student union L’Union Étudiante said in a news release on Oct. 26. “These announcements perfectly symbolize the Macronist contempt we’ve endured for the past 10 years: False promises we’re expected to accept, without the government ever having to back down on its neoliberal agenda of dismantling public services and cutting costs at the expense of the most vulnerable.”Unions, yellow vest protesters and others have joined the movement, swelling the ranks of marchers.Monday the government announced it would raise the minimum wage from 1,477.93 euros ($1,656) by 24 euros ($27) to 1,502 euros ($1,683).“It’s not just for students but for workers also, for the minimum wage raise at 1.6%, which is much less than what they were demanding,” Charlotte, the student, said.On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu hosted student unions and ministers to discuss new reforms, but student and teacher union representatives walked out.Demonstrations are expected to continue.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads