Pupils blockaded French high schools on Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators marched in cities across the country to support the teenagers’ demands for more education funding, increasing pressure on the government of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron. According to Associated Press schools across France were closed on Tuesday, a measure authorities began last week to reduce damage and injuries. More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, along with a forceful police response that has led to more than 6,100 arrests, mostly of minors, have also become a flashpoint in the early days of the presidential election campaign. Macron cannot run for a third consecutive term. His successor will be elected in May. The teenage protesters have struck a chord amid widespread discontent in France. Frustrations extend beyond immediate difficulties, such as fuel prices that have soared because of the Iran war, to broader concerns about constraints on public spending, rising poverty and wealth inequality under Macron. Against that backdrop, pupils’ complaints that education funding shortfalls are endangering their futures have found a sympathetic audience. At one school in Paris' 20th district, students created makeshift barricades as the day began using trash cans and bicycles. School blockades and protests began in the Paris region in mid-September before spreading to other cities and towns. Demonstrators have voiced a range of grievances, often centering on a lack of resources and opportunities for students in disadvantaged schools despite the promise of France’s national motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” Students have drawn attention to rundown classrooms that lack basics such as desks and chairs, become sweltering in summer without air conditioning and, in some cases, are infested with rats. Other common complaints include staff shortages and exhausting workloads. French high school students’ compulsory classroom hours are among the highest in Europe.
Source: Kanal13
