Secondary school pupils across France are mobilising again on Tuesday, as a two-month protest movement shows no sign of abating despite a string of government concessions. A coalition of trade unions and youth organisations has called for a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations, marking the latest escalation in a dispute that has occasionally turned violent on school premises.
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's government attempted to defuse the crisis. It pledged to overhaul Parcoursup, the national online platform that allocates university places, from 2027, and to replace it entirely by 2028. Additional funding for school buildings and extra resources for the most disadvantaged institutions were also promised. Yet the gestures have done little to convince the protesters.
Relations soured further during a meeting on the Parcoursup reform at the prime minister's office in Paris. Most pupil and student groups, along with education unions, walked out in protest at the presence of far-right and business representatives at the talks.
"We are calling on everyone who supports the legitimate demands of young people, but also those of workers, to be out on the streets," said Éloïse Lefebvre-Milon, co-leader of the Union étudiante student union, after leaving the negotiations.
The coalition includes some of France's largest labour unions, such as the CGT and FO, alongside pupil and student organisations. In a joint statement, they said the time had come "to step up the mobilisation by continuing to put pressure on the government".
Pupil leaders vow to keep up pressure
Student leaders show no intention of backing down. "The balance of power is in our favour, we have to keep going," said Ryad Rani, president of the Union syndicale lycéenne, a secondary school pupils' union. "We have to stay mobilised. We are not only fighting for ourselves. We are fighting for teachers, for their working conditions."
Sophie Vénétitay heads Snes-FSU, the largest union for secondary school teachers. She said Tuesday's action would include "supervised and secure marches", as tensions outside schools are rising.
Youth protests have a long history of putting pressure on French governments. Former president François Hollande faced mass demonstrations against his labour reforms in 2016. At the time, he privately compared a student movement to toothpaste: "You can get it out of the tube, but you cannot get it back in."
Violence reported in several secondary schools
Most protests have been peaceful, but there has been a string of violent incidents on the fringes. On Monday, firework mortars were set off inside two secondary schools in Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris. The regional council said two pupils were hurt at one of them. At the other, nobody was injured, but education officials said pupils were left "in shock".
Police arrested five people after trouble outside schools in Le Havre and Rouen in Normandy, according to France 3 Normandie. Similar incidents were reported in Angers in western France, as reported by Ici.
The protests come as France's political landscape remains volatile, with the government already facing challenges on multiple fronts. The ongoing unrest adds to the pressure on Lecornu's administration, which has struggled to balance reform ambitions with social stability. The situation is being closely watched across Europe, as other countries grapple with similar tensions over education policy and youth disenchantment.
As the movement enters its third month, the question remains whether the government can find a way to bridge the gap with the protesters. For now, the streets of Paris and other cities are likely to remain filled with determined pupils and their supporters, echoing a familiar pattern in French political life.
