The collective mobilization of French high school students could prompt a response from the government, although the cost of fully meeting the students' demands would be colossal in terms of funding the national education system, according to an education professional in Paris.
High school students have been blocking their schools since mid-September to demand more funding for education. In Paris, crowds of protesters gathered by landmarks, singing and cheering, holding aloft placards adorned with slogans and waving national flags, with some setting off flares, while police in riot gear were later brought in, creating a tense stand-off.
The French Ministry of the Interior put the figure at some 256,000 across the country, including 56,000 in Paris. However, organizers say the marches drew as many as 450,000 people, with 100,000 heading out in the capital city.
Cynthia Perrod, a teacher and project manager for "School-Business Relations" at the Paris Regional Education Office, explained the high school students' main demands.
"The demands are numerous and span several levels. Obviously, what stresses them out the most is Parcoursup, they think that this platform is unfair, which can be another more complicated issue," Perrod said, referring to the official French national admissions platform that manages applications and pre-enrollment for undergraduate programs. The web portal has been criticized for the complex and opaque way that students are admitted to universities.
"[Another issue is] the condition of the school facilities. It's true that from one region to another, the level of maintenance varies greatly. Paris is an extremely old city -- it's a beautiful place to visit -- but at the same time, its high schools are very old, dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, making them very difficult to maintain at a significant cost. So the regions aren't necessarily able to cover these costs," she added.
Students are also complaining about the lack of teaching staff.
"We are one of the countries in Europe where teachers are the lowest paid. And yet, when it comes to the national budget for education -- which is the largest budget -- 75 percent goes toward salaries. There are 1.2 million employees in the national education system, and 75 percent of them are teachers. And we still have a shortage of teachers," the education professional said.
"We're in a time when young people are feeling down and uncertain about the future. There are a huge number of protests in France across all walks of life, and no one feels heard. So I think that, in fact, this is often a normal reaction -- let's say that when countries are struggling, it's often the students who speak out. Indeed, if we stick together and work together to push the government, the regions, and the departments to take action, we might be able to find solutions. But again, we know France is in right now -- it's facing difficulties on several levels. It's complicated, though; meeting all of our demands -- for the national education system -- would cost 11 billion," she said.
Student protests in France could push government to find solutions: education professional
