The Japan Times - 'Fighting for our future': France high school students vow no let-up

Students have blocked entrances to hundreds of high schools across the country, with squads of riot police deployed to control the situation -- occasionally resulting in violent clashes.

A few fireworks streamed up into the sky as tens of thousands of students from schools and universities rallied in the French capital's Bastille Square on Thursday afternoon.

Crowds of students climbed the famous monument at its centre, some waving the French flag and singing the national anthem.

A student sat with his legs dangling on the top of a bus stop, clutching a sign reading: "Reason for absence: Too busy fighting for our future."

Student demonstrators -- many attending high schools called lycees for children aged between 15 and 18 years old -- have complained of absent teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.

Jeanne, a 15-year-old student from a top Paris high school, said she wanted to show solidarity with pupils in less privileged areas outside the capital.

"Everyone has the right to be educated at the same level. There shouldn't be people who are more educated than others when we're all in the public education system," she said.

Marianne, a 20-year-old university student who also did not want to give her second name, said she was also there to protest excessive police force in recent days of protest.

"For me, that's just unacceptable," she said.

- 'We want action' -

While the rallies have been largely peaceful, some demonstrators have started fires and vandalised bus shelters. In response, police have used tear gas, batons and blast balls, prompting rights groups and the children to accuse them of using disproportionate force.

A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, and the government has suspended the use of the weapons in response.

Police on Thursday evening said they had use tear gas in Bastille to disperse some "high-risk profiles" who had come into contact with them.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray was set to announce "concrete measures" to address the crisis on the evening news, the prime minister's office said.

Geffray earlier in the day promised to present an "emergency plan" on teacher replacements within "a few hours or a few days".

In a televised address on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October.

Although he denied security forces had been given "orders to confront" the young people, many were unconvinced.

"We don't want words, we want action," 17-year-old Camille told AFP at a student march in the western city of Nantes.

Outside one high school in Rennes, 18-year-old Hanaa told AFP she was "disappointed and unconvinced" by Lecornu's remarks.

"We expected more from him," agreed fellow student Salyna, 17.

- 'Fundamental issues' -

Assane Seck, father of a 15-year-old student in a Paris suburb, told AFP that at his son's school, "a teacher in one subject or another is missing" almost every day.

"There are genuine, fundamental issues that deserve reflection," he said.

Economy Minister Roland Lescure said this week there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget, which is facing heated political debate.

In the current draft, education has the second largest increase in funding -- after defence -- with a boost of 1.4 percent to 90.9 billion euros.

France's spending picture on education is mixed.

A report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found that France spends 24 percent more per student on upper secondary education than the OECD average -- but it spends markedly less at earlier stages, particularly primary schools.

The country's recent PISA score -- an annual survey which assesses the performance of education systems by measuring the skills of 15-year-old students -- was France's worst since the rankings began in 2000.

Hundreds of students, police and teaching staff have been injured since the protests began, and more than 6,500 people -- mostly children -- have been arrested.

The unrest has erupted just months ahead of the 2027 election to choose a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with far-right veteran candidate Marine Le Pen riding high in the polls despite a graft conviction.

burs-ah/giv/jj

M.Sugiyama--JT