Macron to meet student leaders as France braces for fresh protests

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet representatives of high school student groups in Paris on Friday, the first time he has held talks with the movement that has been demanding an overhaul of the education system since September.

The meeting comes as France braces for further protests over the weekend. Jean-Didier Berger, the minister delegate to the interior minister, said police presence on the streets would be increased by 20 percent. A curfew will limit movement in Paris, and protest bans are in place in Marseille and Lyon, after largely peaceful demonstrations last weekend gave way to violent riots. Authorities were accused of failing to prepare adequately and are taking no chances.

What students want

Since mid-September, high school students have protested against teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms – sometimes with more than 40 students – and dilapidated school buildings. Their demands include better-funded schools, more teachers and a greater say in decisions affecting their future.

Nathanael Combary, 18, president of the board of directors of the student organisation Renouveau Lyceen, named two priorities: a comprehensive overhaul of Parcoursup, the university admissions system many students consider discriminatory, and a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7bn) emergency plan to improve school infrastructure before winter and summer.

Other student organisations and unions are calling for an additional 10 billion euros ($11.2bn) for education, more teachers on permanent rather than precarious contracts, and 250,000 additional university places.

"For years, we've been given promises that were never kept," said Soumaya Sarre, an 18-year-old student and a leading figure in the Federation of High School Students from Working-Class Neighbourhoods. "What we want is for promises to be backed by concrete results."

The government's response

So far the government has announced 3,000 additional substitute teachers and an online consultation, while its 2027 budget allocates an extra 1.1 billion euros ($1.2bn) to national education. Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste is not considering abolishing Parcoursup, calling the idea "pure demagogy", but says he is ready for "profound changes". After a meeting with student organisations on October 7, the Union etudiante said the minister could not give them any guarantees. Another meeting is set for Monday.

Deeper causes

Observers doubt such measures can address the roots of the unrest: anxiety linked to a diploma that no longer guarantees a job, a rising cost of living and a sense that the state can no longer provide services.

"Young people's prospects depend on the social status and wealth of a family. This is the root cause of these protests," said Jacques Reland, a senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, adding: "The wealthy family has replaced the welfare state."

Macron has a minority in parliament, which makes meaningful reforms hard to pass, and finances are the biggest obstacle. Public debt is projected to reach 121.7 percent of France's GDP in 2027, up from 119.3 percent this year, according to the government's budget bill. Reland said the government cannot satisfy the demands without increasing the deficit or touching social security – "two aspects that would push people in the streets".

The movement has grown into a nationwide campaign at a tense moment for France, six months before its presidential election.

Source: Al Jazeera.