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The Conversation
Joseph Downing, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, Aston University

French school protests: a rite of passage – and the result of genuine concerns

Students protest in Paris, October 6 2026. Pierre Laborde/Shutterstock

Across France, school students have taken to the streets to protest about teacher shortages, dilapidated school buildings and long school days.

While the tradition of student protest has long roots in France, the country’s current fiscal crisis combined with entrenched structural problems with teacher recruitment, sickness absence and a backlog of school maintenance means this is unlikely to be something the current government can easily address.

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