Overview
- Large demonstrations spread nationwide on Tuesday, with authorities reporting about 256,000 participants and unions estimating up to 450,000 as high‑school students, teachers and parents rallied over chronic shortages and poor facilities.
- Clashes with police have grown more violent in recent days, with officers using tear gas, stun grenades and launcher rounds that have caused severe injuries including a teenager who lost a hand and another who lost most of his teeth.
- Security forces have made thousands of arrests since the movement began and officials say a large share of those detained are minors, while prosecutors and police oversight bodies have opened multiple internal inquiries into police conduct.
- The Education Ministry reports dozens of schools have been ransacked or burned and many lycées are closed or blocked, forcing remote teaching and worsening disruption to students and staff.
- The unrest is centered on long‑running teacher shortages, overcrowded timetables and crumbling buildings, and it has become a political flashpoint with the government blaming hard‑left activists, rights groups denouncing excessive force, and pressure mounting for concrete policy fixes ahead of 2027.