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Why are thousands of French students protesting, and why is Macron worried?
France student protests have spread across high schools, with clashes, arrests and disruptions reported amid demands for better education facilities and funding.
Police officers face students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Paris. (AP Photo)
Thousands of students have blocked high schools across France in a protest movement rattling President Emmanuel Macron’s government in recent days to protest the state of education, triggering violent clashes and riots with police. The Paris police chief has said that student protests have spread across the country and are now “out of control”.
Since the protests began last week, dozens of people have been wounded, and nearly 5,000 have been arrested, officials said, adding that most of those held are minors. According to spokesperson for France’s national police Agathe Foucault, more than 600 police officers have also been injured.
Students run through teargas as they face policemen during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Paris. (Photo: Reuters)
Riot police clash with students as teachers join protests
The riot police clashed with high school students on Friday, and the unions in the country called for teachers to strike as the administration struggled to contain the violent protests being held over classroom conditions and funding in the education sector, Reuters reported. Property damage from the protests is estimated at tens of millions of euros.
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France vs India: Two education movements, one question — are schools fit for students?
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Students in France are protesting; in India, the CJP is auditing schools.
The two movements are not connected and have different contexts and causes.
FRANCE
What are students protesting?
Overcrowded classrooms
“We are 35 per class”
Teacher & staff shortages
A year with no science teacher
Deteriorating buildings
Dilapidated, overheated classrooms
Education funding
2027 budget +1.7%, below inflation
Pressure in the system
Long school days, short lunch breaks
Source: Al Jazeera, CBS News, Euronews, Reuters
INDIA
What is CJP’s “School Thik Karo” campaign?
CJP says the aim is to “fix government schools in villages”: citizens visit a school, fill in its checklist, photograph problems and send the findings to local authorities.
SOCIAL AUDIT CHECKLISTCHECKED
Drinking water
Functional toilets
Electricity
Safe classrooms
Boundary walls & campus safety
Mid-day meals & teacher attendance
Aug 15launched on Independence Day
13languages for the checklist
1.6 millionschools CJP says the platform covers
Checklist and figures as stated by the Cockroach Janta Party on its campaign page. CJP has not yet published audit results. Source: Cockroach Janta Party
The CJP story
From an exam scandal to school audits
NEET-UG paper leakMay 2026
Jantar Mantar agitation36-day sit-in
Demand: Pradhan’s resignation
Pradhan resignsJuly 25, 2026
“School Thik Karo” launchedIndependence Day, August 15, 2026
Citizen school audits beginVolunteers audit government schools using CJP’s checklist
Source: Al Jazeera, ABC News, Cockroach Janta Party
What is similar?
Same focus, different route
FRANCE
Students↓Poor school conditions↓Protests and blockades
INDIA
CJP↓Poor government-school conditions↓Audits + demands for action
BOTTOM LINE
Different movements. Different contexts. A similar focus on the basic conditions students need to learn.
Sources: France: Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, CBS News, Euronews. India: Cockroach Janta Party (campaign page), Al Jazeera, ABC News (Australia).
Over 400 schools closed as protests disrupt education
Because of massive protests, one-third of France’s nearly 3,700 high schools were closed or disrupted on Thursday, while more than 400 schools were closed on Friday, France education minister Édouard Geffray said, the New York Times reported. To extend solidarity with protesters, the teachers’ union and some political figures have joined the movement.
Macron government condemns ‘urban violence’
The French government has said that some of the demands raised by the students are legitimate but condemned “urban violence” and accused France Unbowed, a far-left party, of endorsing the protest movement. However, the party has rejected the allegations. In an open letter published on X, Paris police chief Patrice Faure said that those who launched the demonstration no longer controlled it, and called on protesting students to abandon school blockades and unrest in favour of peaceful forms of protest.
Saying that parents also have a responsibility to keep their children away from the influence of “professional rioters”, Faure said, “It is time to return to peaceful forms of action.” This comes as the student union is planning to return to the barricades for a national day of demonstrations on Tuesday.
Why are French students protesting?
Enlisting some of the reasons behind the student demonstrations across France, a student union which is part of the movement’s main organisers said:
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- Overcrowded classrooms
- Crumbling infrastructure
- Overloaded schedules
- Unfunded schools
- Shortage of teachers and staff
‘Education is a right, not a privilege’: Protest slogans
Some of the placards held by the students during the demonstration read: “Too many inequalities, we’re disgusted”, “Education is a right, not a privilege”, “We’re not poorly educated, we’re just not listened to”, and “Sorry to bother, it’s for our future.”
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