Students blockade schools across France

High school students barricaded entrances with wheelie bins on Monday in Paris, Lille, Toulouse and Marseille, demanding more replacement teachers and building repairs.

Macron's call to end protests ignored

Students' unions rejected Emmanuel Macron's appeal to stop the lycée blockades, which have run since September and sparked one of the biggest protest movements of his presidency.

Government measures deemed insufficient

Nathanaël Combary from Renouveau Lycéen said the government's offer to cap class sizes and review university applications was inadequate. Protests remain the only way to be heard.

“Democratically speaking it's a bit scandalous that we have to reach this type of situation to be heard but it's the only solution we have.”

Education minister warns of exam risk

Édouard Geffray said hundreds of thousands of final-year pupils have missed four or five weeks of classes and face an exam year now at risk of collapse.

“We have pupils who are sitting their baccalauréat at the end of the year who for hundreds of thousands of them have had no classes for four or five weeks if you include holidays, and for whom the school year is now at risk.”

Dispute over blockade numbers

The education ministry reported forty-one high schools blocked, around one percent nationwide. Students' unions claimed the figure was one hundred fifty.

Nationwide strike planned for Thursday

Trade unions called for a large-scale strike on Thursday with rail workers, teachers and private-sector employees joining demonstrations across France to support students' demands.

Prime minister to meet student unions

Sébastien Lecornu said he would meet school students' unions again next week as the government seeks to resolve the escalating crisis.