France braced for fresh nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday as student-led protests over education cuts and poor classroom conditions entered a new phase. The movement, which began at a suburban Paris high school in late September, has since spread to 356 schools across the country, with students decrying overcrowded classes, deteriorating buildings, and staff shortages .
The 2026 budget removed 3,256 teaching posts in public schools, even as public secondary schools serve around 250,000 more pupils than in 2008, according to reports. Protests have already led to more than 5,000 arrests by Oct. 5, with authorities and participants wary of further violence .
The government has responded by proposing measures to hold students financially accountable for property damage during demonstrations, while critics argue the focus should be on addressing the root causes of the unrest. Françoise Fressoz, an editorialist at *Le Monde*, noted that students are not seeking to dismantle the system but rather to function within it under less dire conditions .
The protests, described by sociologist Eduardo Chávez Molina as a crisis of legitimacy for the democratic state, reflect broader dissatisfaction with unmet social contracts. Students, teachers, and parents have joined the mobilizations, which have featured barricades, tear gas, and police lines .
