{
  "id": 13198120,
  "title": "Schools crisis in France: Investment fails to inspire confidence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/schools-crisis-in-france-investment-fails-to-inspire-confidence",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T19:52:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/schools-crisis-in-france-investment-fails-to-inspire-confidence/a-79621916?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "School children in France have exposed the poor condition of many educational facilities through videos posted online. At a school in Paris, rat sightings and leaking roofs were reported, while pupils in another area complained of windows that could not be opened on hot days. Overcrowded classrooms and cancelled lessons are also common. Despite investing 6.7% of its GDP in education, France's infrastructure remains in disrepair due to responsibilities being divided among central and local governments. Local authorities, responsible for building maintenance, have limited financial resources, with over two-thirds of their budgets already dedicated to staff salaries and pensions. Many schools in France are over 50 years old, and roughly 10 to 20% are in dire need of renovation. Politicians have attempted to tackle the issue, with France's largest region, Ile-de-France, investing €6.6 billion over ten years for renovations from 2017 to 2027. However, even after repairs, buildings often lack proper heat protection. Newly built or renovated schools have also been damaged during recent protests. Despite France's large investment in upper secondary education, it spends less per primary school student than the average for industrialized countries. The government has made some improvements, such as reducing class sizes in disadvantaged areas and increasing teaching positions, but these efforts have not fully addressed the systemic issues. The OECD's Pisa program results show that over one-third of French 15-year-olds lack basic math skills. Macron's reform of upper secondary education has also faced criticism for making scheduling and classroom management more challenging. Universities in France also struggle with overcrowded classrooms, as seen in a seminar with 50 students that required chairs to be brought from other rooms. The French government has announced plans to recruit more supply teachers and identify difficult schools, but the problems persist. French teachers earn relatively low salaries compared to their EU counterparts, and lessons are frequently cancelled, with only a small percentage being covered by substitute teachers.",
  "summary": "For weeks, schoolchildren in France have been protesting the failing education system. Compared to many other countries, France invests heavily in education but critics say that the funds are not distributed fairly.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Schools crisis in France: Investment fails to inspire confidence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/schools-crisis-in-france-investment-fails-to-inspire-confidence-13198777",
        "published": "2026-10-09T19:52:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}