Play store
Thousands of students have taken to the streets across France in protests over deteriorating conditions in the country’s education system, with hundreds of schools disrupted or closed.
The protests, which began in mid-September, have spread nationwide.
Students are demanding more teachers, smaller class sizes, better-maintained school buildings and improved learning conditions.
They have also raised concerns over long school hours and the university admission system.
The demonstrations have increasingly turned violent in some areas, with protesters blocking school entrances, setting fire to rubbish bins and clashing with police.
Authorities said around 400 to 500 secondary schools could be fully or partially closed on Monday because security conditions were not considered adequate.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked, while 78 education staff had been injured since the unrest began.
More than 5,000 people have reportedly been arrested, most of them minors, according to the interior minister.
Student organisations have called for further nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday, while teachers’ unions have announced their support for the students’ demands.
The government has acknowledged concerns over school conditions but has condemned violence and damage to public property.