Smaller classes, more staff and renovation loans
The government's package would limit first-year high school classes, known as seconde, to 28 students. It also provides for 500 additional teaching jobs and another 500 positions for psychologists, nurses and social workers.
Other measures include 15,000 additional places in higher education and €4 billion in loans to renovate high schools. The government plans to replace Parcoursup, the university admissions platform, by 2028.
The finance minister estimated the package's cost at about €5 billion, saying spending reductions elsewhere would offset it. The government is seeking to bring the deficit down from 5.4% of GDP in 2026 to 5% in 2027.
The package follows an earlier response to staffing shortages. By October 13, Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the deployment of 3,000 substitute teachers to the schools most affected was underway.
How a local school protest spread
Students at Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry in Créteil began protesting in mid-September after returning from summer break. With national high school leaving exams approaching, they had spent months without teachers for French and math.
Within two weeks, demonstrations and related closures affected nearly 30% of France's 3,600 high schools. Thousands of students took part at public and private schools, from Paris and its suburbs to other major cities and smaller towns. Social media helped carry the movement to universities, vocational schools and beyond France.
"It is now clear that we are witnessing a historic protest movement and that we are going to have a hard time resolving this crisis," Sophie Vénétitay said.
The protests recall another student movement in the fall of 1990. High school students, many from working-class suburbs of Paris, demanded improvements in safety, cleanliness, staffing and materials. That movement drew roughly 100,000 people in Paris and 150,000 nationwide; then-Education Minister Lionel Jospin introduced an emergency plan and raised the education budget.
Large marches, arrests and injuries
An estimated 550,000 people marched across France on October 17. Widespread violence followed, with officials reporting nearly 2,400 arrests and damage or looting at about 3,000 businesses.
Police injuries on October 17 numbered about 1,000, including seven serious injuries. An officer in Nantes was also struck and killed by a vehicle that day.
The next nationwide demonstrations, on October 24, drew approximately 410,000 people by the authorities' count. The CGT union put attendance closer to 800,000. Authorities reported 1,435 arrests.
By late October, clashes between protesters and police had resulted in about 6,800 arrests, with minors making up most of those detained. The toll among students and educators stood at 248 and 149 injured, respectively, including six serious injuries across the two groups. A demonstrator also died after suffering cardiac arrest in Paris.
Further action planned for October 31 and November 5
Student and union groups have maintained their calls for action following the concessions. Yellow Vest organizers are planning protests and sit-ins outside the National Assembly and town halls for the Saturday, October 31, mobilization.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that 70,000 police personnel would be deployed nationwide for the planned "Act III" protests, warning of a "very high risk" of public disorder. Authorities rejected a proposed march from Bastille to Place de la Nation and offered a route from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte de Charenton instead.
A cross-sector strike remains planned for November 5, with demands concerning wages, the distribution of wealth, public services and the proposed budget.
