Students Renew Calls to Block Schools as Term Reopens

Overview

• Student unions called for fresh high-school and university blockades as classes resumed on Monday 2 November, with organisers planning campus actions through the week and a general strike on 5 November.
• The government has offered a package that includes phased replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, the cancellation of planned staff cuts, 500 new teaching posts, caps of 28 pupils in second-year classes, and 15,000 extra higher-education places.
• Youth organisations and many student leaders say these measures fall short and have vowed to continue mobilising, with coordinated blockades planned for 3 and 4 November and larger street demonstrations over the weekend.
• Authorities have significantly increased security, deploying tens of thousands of police and gendarmes, and headteachers report schools are on alert because earlier stoppages produced damage and temporary closures.
• Unions and parent groups warn of unclear academic consequences for pupils who join blockades and are seeking formal ministry guidance to avoid punitive absences and to protect Parcoursup dossiers while the dispute continues.