French Students Protest School Crisis Despite Government Investment

Cellphone footage of rats in restrooms, leaking roofs, and broken heating systems has fueled a wave of student protests across France, highlighting what young people describe as a failing education system. At the Lycee Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis, near Paris, students report recurring vermin infestations and burst pipes, while peers in nearby Pantin complain that windows cannot be opened even when summer temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

The demonstrations, which have spread nationwide for nearly two weeks, demand improved facilities, more substitute teachers, and greater investment in schools. Despite France spending 6.7% of its GDP on education—a figure comparable to EU averages—students argue that the quality of their learning environment has not improved.

Structural issues lie at the heart of the crisis. While the central government in Paris handles teacher salaries and national curricula, responsibility for maintaining school buildings rests with local authorities. Municipalities oversee elementary schools, departments manage lower secondary schools (collèges), and regions are responsible for upper secondary institutions (lycées). This fragmentation leads to slow progress, as local budgets are heavily constrained by staffing costs and pension payments.

Over 80% of French elementary school buildings are more than 50 years old, with an estimated 10% to 20% requiring serious renovation. Although the Île-de-France region approved a €6.6 billion renovation plan for 2017–2027, and two-thirds of upper secondary students now attend newly built or renovated schools, problems persist. Many buildings still lack adequate protection against extreme heat, and some recently upgraded facilities have been damaged during recent protests.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced plans to recruit over 3,000 supply teachers and stated that software would be used to identify schools in critical condition. These measures represent the government’s first concrete response to student demands since the protests began.

Concerns also extend to academic performance and equity. Recent OECD PISA results indicate that more than one in three 15-year-old French students fail to achieve basic competence in mathematics. Researchers note that academic success in France is more closely tied to socioeconomic background than in many other industrialized nations. Additionally, French teachers earn significantly less than their counterparts in neighboring countries, with lower secondary educators making roughly half of what German teachers earn after 15 years.

Protesters argue that despite high nominal teaching hours, lesson cancellations are frequent. The French Court of Accounts reported that 9% of state college lessons were canceled in the 2023–24 school year, with only about 12% of last-minute cancellations covered by substitutes. University students face similar challenges, with overcrowded seminars forcing attendees to sit on floors or fetch chairs from other rooms.

With the presidential election six months away, the educational crisis has taken on political dimensions. Far-left members of the France Unbowed (LFI) party have voiced support for the protesters, drawing accusations from the government of exploiting student anger for political gain. As demonstrations turn into broader expressions of discontent, the question remains whether increased spending alone can restore confidence in France’s schooling system.