On Thursday, September 17th in Créteil, the first spark of a future conflagration ignited. High school students and staff staged a blockade to protest deplorable educational conditions. Lack of teachers, teaching assistants, special needs assistants, and nurses; poorly insulated and unrenovated facilities; and untenable class schedules... All high school students in France are suffering the consequences of insufficient funding for the national education system. This has sparked a nationwide mobilization that is shaking the media and the government. The national education budget has increased by 30% since 2017, so why is the situation in high schools deteriorating? For the start of the 2026 school year, approximately 4,000 teaching positions were eliminated in both public and private schools across France, and 74 classes were closed in the Ille-et-Vilaine department alone. Our future is also jeopardized by Parcoursup and its unfair selection system, which relies on "digital filters
" and thus places our career plans in the hands of an algorithm. Then, once in higher education, the freeze on housing benefits will prevent the most vulnerable among us from finding accommodation. Not to mention the "Welcome to France" decree imposed by the government before the summer, a blatantly anti-immigration project that aims to increase tuition fees for non-European international students. In short, for all high school students, stress is mounting regarding their future studies, all while enduring grueling schedules and conditions that make optimal learning impossible.So yes, it was obvious that this collective frustration would lead to a mass movement. On September 29, a day of inter-union mobilization in Rennes, the first major blockades broke out in a large number of the city's high schools. Brequigny, Jean Macé, Émile Zola-all turned out in large numbers, perhaps finally making their voices heard, as young people still infantilized and rendered invisible. Then, the next day, September 30th, other high schools joined the movement, including Coëtlogon, Jean Jaurès, and Sévigné in Cesson-Sévigné. On October 1st, even more joined with Joliot-Curie, Châteaubriant, Descartes, and also Jeanne d'Arc, a private school. But the government, beginning to fear the situation, sent its dogs after us, and we suffered violent repression. Seven arrests. This led to an increasingly violent response from the mobilized students, and for the first time in years, attention began
to turn to our demands.
But the fight must not end now. On Thursday, October 1st, three high school students were summoned to the regional education authority after an impromptu gathering in front of the building. A student from Joliot-Curie, another from Jean Macé, and myself, a student from Bréquigny, were called in to supposedly discuss student demands. All the issues we raised were categorically denied, and attempts were made to appease our anger by promising that our demands would be forwarded to the Ministry of Education, by encouraging us to join student councils (CVL), and by trying to persuade us that it would be best to distance ourselves from any property damage that may have occurred. But the strength of this movement lies in the fear it is generating throughout France. This civil disobedience must continue until we achieve our goals, and minor reforms will not silence us. We will not stop
until radical change is made to the school system and, more broadly, to capitalist society. We are told about democracy and discussion, but we will not give in to a system where the people only have power through the ballot box.
Now, students and teachers alike have mobilized alongside us in support of this struggle, which ultimately concerns us all. Whether you are young or simply want to help us, don't hesitate to come and meet Révolte Lycéenne, our collective of young people fed up with this ageist and repressive society.
Let's maintain this determination, and long live the fire!
Ava, La Sociale Group, Rennes
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=9240
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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