A French student union has called on pupils to maintain their school blockades and street protests, even after the government announced a package of education measures on Monday aimed at easing the crisis.
"Today we're at the negotiating table, we're able to negotiate with the government," Pierre Sourzat of Les Lycéens told France Info television. "We're in a power struggle and we still need to call for continued mobilisation to meet a maximum of our demands." He added: "We want measures, not half measures."
The proposals came more than five weeks after high school blockades began in September. The movement has grown into the biggest youth protest in years, and trade unions and cost-of-living protesters have joined it in regular mass demonstrations on Saturdays.
Pupils had demanded an end to teacher and staff shortages, as well as repairs to run-down school buildings with collapsing ceilings, mould, broken toilets, missing chairs and windows that would not close. Education minister Édouard Geffray said some schools were so dilapidated they were "not fit" for teaching, and announced a government loan of €4bn to regional authorities to start repairs.
On overcrowding, Geffray said classes for 15-year-olds in the first year of high school would be capped at 28 pupils in the 50% of schools in the lowest-income areas, with the cap extended to all high schools next year. He also promised more teaching posts and a review of the French baccalaureate system. Higher education minister Philippe Baptiste said 15,000 extra places would be created in higher education, with a focus on vocational courses.
The government also said the university application platform Parcoursup, which has been described as opaque and unfair, would be changed in 2027 and replaced by a new system in 2028. Parliament will debate the issue on Wednesday. Baptiste said the government's door remained "open" for further talks.
Louis Letoublon, who met Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on behalf of Les Lycéens, said the government was "afraid and knows it must do something and listen to us." He added: "Not all our demands were met. We'll go on for as long as it takes."
The protests have carried a heavy human cost. Several children have been maimed or seriously injured, allegedly by police explosive weapons, and hundreds have been arrested and held in police custody. After the worst day of violence in years on 17 October, which brought looting, fires and vandalism of state buildings, authorities tightened security, imposed curfews in certain cities and banned some protests. Saturday's demonstrations, with routes pushed to city outskirts, passed off largely peacefully.
Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said ultra-right groups had appeared in "organised formations" in cities such as Nice and Montpellier at the weekend and targeted protesters. Eleven suspects are to face charges. Authorities have admitted to security and intelligence failures ahead of the 17 October clashes.
Speaking in Marseille on Monday, President Emmanuel Macron said nationwide protests were likely to continue and that the next day of demonstrations, on 31 October, would be a "day of risk." He said it was "not normal" for the country to be in "such a state of turmoil" six months before a presidential election. Macron, who steps down next spring, said: "We will continue to hold the line." Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is currently leading the polls.