Overview
- On Tuesday, October 13, tens of thousands of high‑school and university students marched in cities across France and blocked about 200 secondary schools while university campuses reported near‑wide closures.
- Protesters demand a €10 billion investment plan, full staffing including thousands more substitute teachers, shorter overloaded school days, repairs to decaying facilities, and changes to Parcoursup, the national university‑admissions platform.
- The Education Ministry announced a rapid hiring of 3,000 substitute teachers and the prime minister said he will table amendments that take up some student proposals, but organizers call those steps far short of their demands.
- Clashes with police during recent actions have left dozens to hundreds injured, including a case in which a youth lost a hand, and internal police investigations have been opened over officers’ use of force.
- The trade union CGT has called a general strike for November 5 to press for higher pay and public investment, and organizers warn the student movement could join upcoming cost‑of‑living protests, raising the near‑term risk of wider unrest.