French high school student protests resumed on Monday as students returned from a two-week break, with attempts to block access to a few high schools in Paris, Marseille, and Rennes, Reuters reported, citing French media.
The demonstrations were much smaller than those held before the break. France’s Education Ministry said 41 high schools, about 1% of the country’s total, were blocked by 8:30 a.m. GMT.
The protests started in the Paris suburbs in September, initially focusing on education before expanding to include concerns over the rising cost of living.
Hundreds of schools were blocked in the weeks leading up to the break, and demonstrations in several cities also sparked clashes with police and riots.
Students are demanding the renovation of aging schools, more teachers and university places, as well as changes to the university admissions system, which “they see as socially unfair,” Reuters added.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Monday that “in terms of blockades—or rather, attempted blockades—the phenomenon is very marginal. We’re talking about just a handful of units, a few individual schools.”
He added that while protests are allowed, blocking access to schools is illegal.
Last week, Geffray proposed capping class sizes at 28 students, allocating €4 billion to school renovations and adding 15,000 places in higher education. He also proposed introducing a new university admissions system by 2028.
Student representatives rejected the proposals as insufficient and said they would continue their protests.
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