Live: 141 French high schools closed as student protests continue for fifth day

Home France Live Issued on: 09/10/2026 - 09:46Modified: 09/10/2026 - 10:30 Protesters clash with French gendarmes as French high school and university students attend a demonstration in Nantes on October 8, 2026. © Stephane Mahe, Reuters France's ministry of education said that 141 high schools remain closed Friday as national student protests continue despite a pledge from the education minister on Thursday to deploy 3,000 extra substitute teachers. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Yesterday's key developments: French PM Sébastien Lecornu detailed the measures put forward earlier by the education minister. These include deploying the 3,024 supply teachers currently not assigned to any classes, with priority given to the 114 secondary schools facing the greatest difficulties. Education Minister Edouard Geffray pledged to deploy an additional 3,000 supply teachers "in the coming days" to address the crisis in French high schools. Officials say 71,500 people demonstrated in France on Thursday, including 24,500 in Paris. The interior ministry says 504 people were arrested and 48 officers were injured. (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters) Keywords for this article