French school protests: crumbling buildings and tight public finances

Pupils and students across France have been protesting for almost two weeks over poor learning conditions. The young people demand better-equipped secondary schools, more supply teachers and greater investment in education. Cellphone videos shared on social media show rats, leaking roofs and broken heating in many schools. With the presidential election six months away, the dispute over education is also turning into a political power struggle.

What lies behind the protests

At the Lycee Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, pupils report vermin and regular burst pipes. In nearby Pantin, they complained that windows could not be opened even when summer temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius. Overcrowded classrooms and frequently cancelled lessons are also cited.

More than 80% of French elementary school buildings are over 50 years old, and an estimated 10 to 20% of school buildings badly need renovation. France spends 6.7% of its GDP on education, which is substantial by EU standards. However, maintenance is the job of local authorities: municipalities for elementary schools, departments for lower secondary schools and regions for lycees. More than two-thirds of their budgets already go on staffing and pensions.

The Paris region, Ile-de-France, approved a €6.6 billion programme for 2017 to 2027, and two-thirds of upper secondary pupils there now attend a new or renovated school. Effective protection against summer heat is still rare.

Learning outcomes and government steps

According to OECD calculations, France spends less per primary pupil than the average for industrialized countries. Since 2017, class sizes in the first years of primary school have been halved in disadvantaged areas, and about 16,000 teaching posts have been added. The government now intends to hire more than 3,000 supply teachers at short notice, and Education Minister Edouard Geffray said software would be used to identify schools in particular difficulty.

In the latest Pisa international assessment, more than one in three 15-year-olds in France fail to reach a basic level in mathematics. The French Court of Accounts recorded that 9% of lessons at state lower secondary schools were cancelled in 2023–24.

The draft 2027 budget includes an extra €1.2 billion for the Education Ministry, but also plans to cut teaching posts because pupil numbers are falling. Some lawmakers from the far-left France Unbowed party have backed the protesters. The government accuses the party of exploiting young people's anger for political ends, which the party denies.