France: Over 100 Education Workers Injured in Student Protests
By Staff, Agencies
More than 100 education workers have been injured during ongoing high school protests across France, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Friday, as demonstrations over deteriorating school conditions and teacher shortages continue to spread.
“Yesterday, the number of injured staff exceeded 100,” Geffray told reporters, without providing an exact figure.
The protests, now in their second week, have disrupted classes across the country, with students denouncing overloaded schedules, teacher shortages, deteriorating school infrastructure, and inequalities in the education system.
The demonstrations have also been accompanied by clashes with police. A RIA Novosti correspondent reported that police in Paris used tear gas and stun grenades against protesters.
More than 6,600 people have been detained during the protests, according to the latest figures, with most of those detained being minors. University students, teachers, and parents have also joined the demonstrations.
The French government has suspended the use of stun grenades during student protests following an incident in the northern city of Lens, where a 15-year-old boy lost his hand during a confrontation with riot police.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez ordered the suspension, citing a “strong possibility” that a stun grenade caused the teenager's injury. He said 18 incidents had been referred to the police inspectorate for investigation and that the suspension would remain in place until the circumstances of the incident were clarified.
The move came amid mounting criticism from rights groups, trade unions, students, and opposition politicians over police tactics during the demonstrations.
On Wednesday, police used tear gas to disperse protesters outside Sciences Po University in central Paris, where students had barricaded a street with rubbish bins.
More than 500 schools were closed on Wednesday as the demonstrations continued, while unions representing students, teachers, and other workers prepared further marches.
The protests began in the Paris region in mid-September before spreading nationwide, with students highlighting shortages of teachers and other school personnel, overcrowded classrooms, demanding schedules, and deteriorating school buildings.
At Lycée Lamartine in central Paris, protesters blocked the school entrance, sang the French national anthem, and chanted slogans.
“We saw there were lots of crumbling walls, a shortage of teachers in public schools, absent teachers,” said Gabriel Fillieule, a former public-school student who now attends a private school.
The unrest has also drawn attention to declining educational performance. According to the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment, French 15-year-olds scored 43 points lower in reading in 2025 than in 2015, the largest decline among OECD countries. Mathematics scores also recorded the largest drop.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has pledged to review students' demands and present proposals by the end of October, including measures addressing school buildings and teacher availability.
“In the past, too many promises were not kept, quite simply because they were untenable,” Lecornu said. “What I want are concrete, quick and fully funded answers.”
The government faces pressure to finance improvements amid weak economic growth and constraints on public spending.
Geffray has said that 24 schools suffered fires or vandalism severe enough to leave them closed for weeks. The damage is expected to prevent around 30,000 students from receiving in-person instruction until the affected schools reopen, with repairs estimated to cost between €20 million and €30 million.
