France Offers 3,000 Teachers Amid Student Protests

The French government has promised to deploy 3,000 additional substitute teachers in the coming days, marking its first major response to weeks of student protests over a lack of resources in secondary education. Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced the measure on Thursday, following demonstrations across the country. According to the government, 6,877 people have been arrested since the protests began, with 86% under the age of 18.

Around 71,000 people took part in Thursday’s demonstrations nationwide, including 24,000 at Paris’s Bastille. Some protests turned violent, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and reports of attacks on officers. A high school in Bordeaux was ransacked, while a deputy-head in Marseille was reportedly beaten. On Friday, around 140 high schools were fully or partially closed, although this was a significant drop compared with previous days.

The additional teachers will be directed to approximately 500 high schools facing the greatest staffing shortages, using new government software. The minister also promised more funding for teachers willing to work overtime and said students’ concerns would be considered in discussions on the 2027 state budget. However, student leaders said they wanted concrete results and greater investment, while another day of protests has been called for Tuesday amid growing political and economic tensions in France.

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