Rabat – As protests by high school students continue to spread across France, authorities plan to close or limit access to as many as 500 schools on Monday amid concerns over security.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said Sunday that classes could be fully or partly suspended at between 400 and 500 high schools where authorities consider security conditions insufficient. The figure would be close to the number of schools affected on Friday.
Geffray said schools would gradually resume classes where conditions permit, with authorities seeking a “partial, progressive return to lessons.”
The protests began at a Paris high school on September 17 before expanding to other parts of the country. Students have raised concerns over teacher shortages, lengthy school days, deteriorating facilities, and what they describe as broader failures that affect their education.
Authorities say the protests have also led to serious damage at some schools. Geffray said 24 high schools have been burned or ransacked since the movement began.
Violence raises security concerns
Some demonstrations have escalated into clashes between students and police, prompting security forces to use tear gas and batons in several cities.
Geffray accused far-left activists of entering the student movement and fueling violence that, he said, has placed students and education staff at risk.
The minister said 78 education workers have suffered injuries since the protests began, describing the figure as unprecedented. He also alleged that some staff members were targeted because of their work within France’s education system.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested since the start of the protests, according to authorities. About 85% of those arrested are minors.
The scale of the arrests has also fueled criticism of police tactics, with opponents accusing security forces of excessive force during confrontations with young protesters.
Teacher assault adds to tensions
Police detained a 16-year-old on Sunday over an assault on a 59-year-old teacher in the southern town of La Ciotat during a protest on Friday.
The teacher was reportedly doused with gasoline and struck during the incident.
A video shared on social media appears to show a masked person dressed in black splashing a liquid onto the teacher. The teacher then holds his face as a tree burns nearby.
Student groups have called for further protests on Tuesday, saying the government has yet to offer “concrete measures” to address their demands.
The planned demonstrations come as authorities face growing pressure to respond to students’ concerns while containing the violence that has accompanied parts of the movement.
