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France 24
France 24
National
Lara BULLENS

What France's student protesters want – and what the government is offering

Cover image: French high school students in Paris hold placards during the biggest day of nationwide protests on October 6, 2026. © Tom Nicholson, Reuters

Staff shortages, rats in the corridors, and a university admissions system that feels like a lottery: As protests sweep France, high school students have drawn up a list of demands to deal with these and other issues. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised a government response by the end of October, but whether he can quell the unrest remains to be seen.

Mass protests across France’s high schools roiled the country again on Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands joining the biggest day of the movement so far. Demonstrations began in late September, with the first protest traced back to Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, a southern Parisian suburb.

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