French high school students resumed blockades on Monday, November 2, as they returned from a two-week autumn holiday, reigniting a protest movement over school conditions and the rising cost of living that has become one of the biggest social crises of President Emmanuel Macron's presidency, according to The Guardian. The education ministry said 41 high schools were blocked on Monday morning, around one percent of the national total, while student unions put the figure far higher, at about 150. The movement, which began in the Paris suburbs in September, is demanding greater investment in education, improved school conditions, additional teaching staff and the abolition of the Parcoursup university admissions system, which protesters consider socially unfair. The government announced measures last week including a staged replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, 500 extra teacher posts, limits on class size in seconde, and 15,000 additional higher-education places, but youth groups call these insufficient and demand a 10-billion-euro investment, according to student organisations. The government has cautioned that weeks without lessons are putting some pupils' school years and final exams at risk, a concern echoed by headteachers who say coursework and university applications are also in jeopardy. Education Minister Edouard Geffray urged students to return to their classrooms, warning that continued disruption could jeopardise the academic year. The dispute is entering a decisive phase: university students' unions planned additional blockades at faculties on Tuesday, November 3, including a student march in Paris, while trade unions have called a nationwide strike for Thursday, November 5, with rail workers, teachers and private-sector employees planning to join demonstrations across France. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has said he will meet school students' unions again next week.
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