PARIS (AP) — The French government pledged Monday to replace its national online university admissions platform, seeking to crack down student anger after weeks of violence often mass protests on education and the cost of living.
Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste announced “substantial changes” to the platform next year, before its replacement in 2028.
Ministers also promised up to €4 billion in loans for school renovations, as well as smaller class sizes, more teaching and higher education posts and an increase in student grants.
The concessions target grievances at schools that helped spark the unrest.
But the movement has expanded to include workers demanding a reduction in the cost of living, making the government’s task more difficult than simply resolving a dispute over college admissions.
The promises arrived after a few hectic weeks
These announcements followed those of France worst unrest in years on October 17when protests over school funding and the rising cost of living turned into riots and looting across the country.
Groups of protesters set fires, looted stores, clashed with police and attacked public buildings, briefly storming Marseille’s city hall and setting fire to the 19th-century Limoges city hall. The fire ravaged the roof and the clock tower of the Limoges building.
Around 2,400 people were arrested in connection with the protests, during which hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully.
Two groups of high school students welcomed some concessions but called for protests to continue. Their representatives spoke after their meeting with the Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu earlier Monday.
“We managed to respond to certain requests from students,” said Nathanaël Combary of the Renouveau Lycéen high school group. “I emphasize the term ‘some’.”
Other representatives were more critical. “We received crumbs compared to what we asked for,” said Clément Vieillot of the Mouvement Cachan 94 student group.
He highlighted students’ demand for an additional 250,000 university places, while the government has committed to creating an additional 15,000 higher education places.
Other demonstrations are planned.
Admissions changes will be up to the next president
The 2028 deadline imposes a central concession on the demonstrators beyond the mandate of President Emmanuel Macron, leaving the government of his successor to carry it out.
Macron cannot run for a third consecutive term in 2027, and far-right leader Marine Le Pen is leading the polls before the first round of the presidential election on April 18. A second round with a winner is scheduled for May 2.
Le Pen’s National Rally has sought to capitalize on the unrest, presenting itself as a law-and-order force and urging voters to channel their anger into support for her presidential bid.
The university admissions replacement system still needs to be designed and legal changes may be necessary – leaving crucial decisions unanswered even as the government seeks to persuade students to end their protests.
The platform, called Parcoursup, allows students to apply to universities and other higher education programs and receive admission decisions. A record 1.05 million people applied through this route this year, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.
This is a subject of protest, with students criticizing unclear selection criteria and unequal access to their favorite courses.
The French government commits to education reforms
For the 2027 admissions cycle, institutions will publish more detailed selection criteria. The platform would provide explanatory information for each rejection, and establishments would have to provide applicants with the reasons for their decision upon request.
A committee of students and faculty would produce initial recommendations for the replacement system by the end of November. The government has said it will introduce legislation if the proposed changes require it.
The government has also promised 15,000 additional places in higher education by 2027 and 2028, mainly in professional and technical programs, as well as an increase in student grants linked to inflation from the start of the 2027 school year.
To respond to requests for better learning conditionsThe government has committed to capping some first-year secondary classes at 28 students from 2027, starting with the most disadvantaged schools. He also promised to reverse planned cuts to secondary school teaching positions and create 500 additional jobs.
Construction projects would extend even further into the next presidency. The government has offered up to 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) in low-interest loans to regional authorities for school renovations until 2030. A separate public plan of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) would finance university renovations until 2029.
Violence has decreased
A new round of nationwide protests on Saturday saw less violence. Authorities estimated attendance at 410,000 people, while organizers put it at nearly 800,000 people.
Authorities deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes to prevent a repeat of the widespread destruction of the previous weekend. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Monday that 1,435 people had been arrested nationwide in connection with last weekend’s protests.
Earlier Monday, the French president promised “concrete measures” to meet students’ demands during a visit to the southern port city of Marseille.
“I asked the government to respond to the legitimate demands behind this protest movement,” Macron said.
Macron and his centrist government have faces criticism for not having responded to students’ grievances since the start of blockades in high schools in mid-September. The protests led to mass arrests and scrutiny over police riot weapons, which were blamed. life-changing injuries suffered by some adolescents.
Demands for better-resourced schools, particularly in poorer communities, come as France grapples with record poverty And record public debt.
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Nicolas Garriga and Jeffrey Schaeffer contributed
Gn world
