France promises 3,000 extra teachers in first step to calm student protests

What the report says

France’s government has made its first substantive move to defuse a wave of high-school protests by promising 3,000 additional substitute teachers in the coming days, according to BBC World News. Education minister Edouard Geffray announced the plan in a television interview on Thursday evening after another day of sometimes violent demonstrations led by students demanding more resources in secondary education.

The BBC said the protests have spread nationwide over three weeks, with officials reporting 6,877 arrests since they began, most of them involving people under 18. On Thursday, about 71,000 people took part in protests across France, including an estimated 24,000 at the Bastille in Paris. Police used tear gas in several places, while clashes and damage were reported in Bordeaux and Marseille. By Friday, around 140 lycées were fully or partly closed, fewer than on earlier days, and another day of action has already been called for next Tuesday.

The ministry said new software would help assign the extra supply teachers to roughly 500 schools facing the greatest staffing problems, with many expected to be in disadvantaged urban suburbs. Geffray also said extra funds could be used for overtime and that student grievances would be considered in talks on the 2027 education budget. BBC reporting suggested the offer falls short of the large-scale investment sought by student leaders, who have said they will keep pressing their demands unless there is a much bigger commitment.