Hundreds of high schools across France are expected to remain fully or partially closed on Monday as authorities prepare for another nationwide day of student demonstrations.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said between 400 and 500 high schools would have lessons suspended because security conditions had not been met. The closures are being treated largely as a precaution ahead of further protests planned for Tuesday.
The protests began in late September at a school in the Paris region over concerns about teacher shortages and poor school conditions before spreading to other parts of the country.
Students have raised complaints about overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities, long school hours and shortages of teachers and other staff. Some have also criticized the lack of replacement teachers when staff are absent.
The demonstrations have become increasingly tense in some areas, with clashes between students and police, fires and damage reported at several schools. Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked and that 78 education workers had been injured since the protests began.
French authorities have made thousands of arrests during the unrest. Reuters reported that around 5,000 people, many of them teenagers, had been arrested nationwide since the previous week. Officials have also expressed concern that more radical groups could become involved in the demonstrations.
Student organisations, however, say their concerns about education conditions have not received sufficient government action. They have called for another national mobilisation on Tuesday, saying they want concrete measures to address their demands.
Teacher unions have also announced plans to join Tuesday's demonstrations, adding further pressure on the government as it seeks to contain the unrest while addressing concerns over funding and staffing in the education system.
The protests come as the French government works on its 2027 budget and faces broader political and economic pressures. The education dispute has therefore become part of a wider debate over public spending and the condition of essential services.
For now, authorities are prioritising safety while allowing schools that meet the required conditions to reopen gradually. Further developments are expected as students and unions prepare for Tuesday's nationwide demonstrations.