Schools across France faced widespread disruption on Monday, October 5, as student protests entered a second week, forcing up to 500 secondary schools to close partially or completely.
The demonstrations, which began last week, have spread from Paris to major regional cities including Marseille, Nantes and Montpellier, with clashes reported between young protesters and riot police.
Students are protesting over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and poorly maintained school buildings.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said hundreds of schools could not open safely because of security concerns. He said 24 schools had been set on fire or vandalised, while 78 staff members had been injured during the unrest.
Government officials have blamed far-left political groups for joining the protests and allegedly pushing the demonstrations towards violence. The claim has been disputed by student organisers.
On Friday, police action affected more than 700 schools during clashes, while Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said nearly one in five high schools in France had been affected by the protests in some way.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, including more than 1,700 in a single day. Teenagers account for about 85 per cent of those detained, according to authorities.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised measures to address some of the concerns raised by students and staff. His proposals include repairing damaged school buildings, hiring more teachers, changing school schedules and making university admissions clearer.
The government also plans to fast-track legislation requiring people who vandalise public property to pay for the damage.
Student organisers, however, say the measures do not go far enough and have called for protests to continue on Tuesday.