The strike by high school students in France is no longer just a limited movement in front of a few educational institutions in the suburbs of Paris; on Tuesday, September 29, it spread to 416 schools across the country, according to the newspaper "Le Monde," coinciding with a general strike in the public sector.
While official coverage focused on acts of violence and arrests, students say that their protest primarily relates to a daily reality they describe as humiliating, which includes a lack of teachers and administrative staff, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings, and increasing pressure related to the university admission system "Parcoursup."
Testimonials from students in Aubervilliers, Montreuil, and Paris reveal that the movement does not stem from a single political demand.
Some participants raise partisan slogans or call for a reduction in military spending, while others reject being accused of being tools in a conflict between the government and the "La France Insoumise" party.
From a lack of teachers to overcrowded classes
At the "Le Corbusier" high school in Aubervilliers, a student named Wiam told "Le Monde" that math students lose one class per week, jeopardizing their preparation for the baccalaureate exam.
Other students spoke about the cancellation of computer science classes due to poor computer equipment, in addition to water leaks and high temperatures inside classrooms.
At Jean Jaurès High School in Montreuil, female students described a long school day, overcrowding in the school cafeteria, and classrooms with 35 students, sometimes leading to a lack of available seats. These complaints are linked to a broader issue of replacing absent teachers.
According to the high school students' union (USL), nearly one in every two schools suffers from a 50% shortage of teaching assistants, while other institutions lack social workers or teachers for essential subjects in baccalaureate years.
Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development supports some of these complaints. The "CNEWS" channel reported that a study by the organization, published on September 29, revealed that nearly three-quarters of French teachers are dissatisfied with their salaries, which are, on average, lower than their counterparts in other OECD countries, highlighting challenges related to salaries, working conditions, and retaining educational staff.
"We are treated like children"
Many students refuse to describe the movement as imposed by the "La France Insoumise" party, despite the presence of local party representatives at some protest sites.
A student told "Le Monde" that young people express their opinions themselves, adding that authorities "treat them like children when they try to speak, then treat them like adults when the police are called."
This sentiment carries a clear social dimension. A student named Farah said that protesters object to the disparities between suburban schools and Parisian schools, while Mariam summarized her demand by stating that suburban students deserve equal opportunities and respect.
The pressure of "Parcoursup" adds another dimension to the crisis; students continuously monitor their grades for fear of impacting their university admission chances, turning the educational process into a constant source of anxiety.
Between the legitimacy of demands and the rejection of violence
On the other hand, the government is trying to separate educational demands from acts of rioting.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray stated in remarks to RTL radio that the demands related to the functioning of schools are "legitimate and should be listened to," but "violence is illegitimate."
The ministry reported injuries to dozens of students and staff since the beginning of the movement, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the arrest of 440 people, most of whom are minors, during the protests on Tuesday.
In contrast, the president of the high school students' union, Riad Rani, stated that the violence reflects "institutional and social violence" faced by youth, but he condemned all forms of violence, including police violence.
He accused the government of using a "manipulative narrative" to undermine the movement, calling for urgent dialogue on classroom overcrowding, repairing schools, and studying conditions.
The cost of the protests transcends political debate, as RMC and BFMTV reported that damages to schools in the Île-de-France region exceeded one million euros, resulting from broken gates and windows, in addition to cleaning and security costs.
With the union calling for the strike to continue, President Emmanuel Macron and his government face a challenging equation: containing violence without allowing security measures to become a substitute for addressing the educational crisis that student testimonies and OECD data indicate has accumulated over years.