S'porean man, 64, gets tear-gassed while holidaying in France during student protests

Paris, October 9 — In response to nationwide school protests, France's education minister Edouard Geffray pledged 3,000 substitute teachers for the country's most troubled high schools. Over 71,500 students took part in demonstrations across the nation, primarily outside their schools, with police detaining more than 500 people.

The protests, led by high school students aged 15 to 18, have been ongoing for a week, with students blocking school entrances, blocking traffic, and complaining about absent teachers, overcrowded timetables, dilapidated classrooms, and buildings unable to handle rising temperatures.

Education Minister Geffray promised the additional teachers would begin arriving in the coming days to replace absent staff at the 114 worst-affected out of around 3,700 high schools. The interior ministry reported 71,500 participants in the protests, with most occurring in Bastille Square in Paris, where students rallied, climbed the monument, and waved the French flag and sang the national anthem.

Students from various schools and universities expressed solidarity with their peers in less privileged areas, criticizing the disparities in education. Some demonstrators have resorted to vandalism and violence, leading police to deploy tear gas, batons, and stun grenades. Rights groups and students have accused authorities of using disproportionate force, leading to injuries among both students and police. The government has since suspended the use of stun grenades.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pledged a plan to address the crisis by the end of October, but many remain unconvinced. "We don’t want words, we want action," stated 17-year-old Camille at a student march in Nantes. Assane Seck, whose son is a student in a Paris suburb, highlighted the need for action, noting that teachers frequently miss classes at his son's school due to unavailability.

Economy Minister Roland Lescure mentioned there could be room within the highly constrained 2027 budget to address demands for more school resources. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that France spends 24 percent more per student on upper secondary education than the OECD average, although spending is notably lower in earlier education stages.

The country's recent PISA score, an international ranking of education systems, was its lowest since the rankings began in 2000. The protests have resulted in hundreds of student, police, and teaching staff injuries, and thousands of arrests. Police investigations into misconduct have opened 18 internal probes. The unrest comes just months before the 2027 election to choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.