Nearly 200 high schools across France were expected to remain closed on Wednesday amid continuing student blockades, as the government promised proposals to improve university admissions.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray told French broadcaster BFMTV that 96 percent of high schools were open, with no disruptions reported in three-quarters of the country’s departments. His remarks came a day after the fifth round of nationwide protests.
Several schools remained blockaded in Paris, including Voltaire, Helene-Boucher and the Balzac school complex. Balzac’s administration suspended in-person classes, citing difficulties accessing the site and safety concerns.
Geffray said Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste would submit proposals to improve Parcoursup, France’s university admissions platform, to the prime minister by the end of October.
He said he was open to “adjustments, possibly substantial ones”, while questioning what would replace the platform if it were abolished.
According to Geffray, fewer than 20 percent of the 90,000 contributions submitted through a government platform collecting students’ complaints concerned Parcoursup.
He ruled out immediate changes to the baccalaureate, France’s school-leaving examination, saying: “I’m not going to change the baccalaureate six months before a presidential election; we need to stop constantly reforming.”
Students demand investment
Student representatives are scheduled to meet Geffray and Baptiste on Thursday afternoon as they press for €10 billion ($11 billion) in investment.
Pierre Sourzat, president of the organisation Les Lyceens!, told Franceinfo that students expected concrete measures after receiving “only crumbs”.
Although protest organisers have not called for a sixth round of demonstrations on Thursday, the Union of High School Students urged demonstrators to maintain their blockades.
Union President Ryad Rani and other student representatives also called for participation in a “yellow vest” demonstration scheduled for Saturday.
Meanwhile, classes resumed at Kleber High School in Strasbourg, where clashes between students and police had occurred in recent weeks.
