‘Will respond to legitimate demands’: Macron moves to ease France’s student unrest; vows ‘concrete measures’

The government is expected to announce changes to Parcoursup, France’s national online university admissions platform, French media reported. Students have criticised its selection criteria, arguing that they lack transparency and limit equal access to their preferred courses.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the government would announce concrete measures to address students’ demands for better learning conditions and more resources after weeks of protests, school blockades and demonstrations continue to fuel unrest across the country.Macron said Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu would announce “strong measures” after meeting student unions. However, he warned that further unrest remained a possibility, with more protests expected next Saturday.“I have also asked the government to respond to the legitimate demands that lie at the root of this social movement,” Macron told reporters during a visit to Marseille in southern France.The government is expected to announce changes to Parcoursup, France’s national online university admissions platform, French media reported. Students have criticised its selection criteria, arguing that they lack transparency and limit equal access to their preferred courses.Their demands also include more teachers to cover staff absences, school renovations, changes to teaching hours and smaller classes. The government announced on October 8 that it would deploy 3,000 additional substitute teachers to high schools facing staffing shortages.The protests began with high school blockades in mid-September and have since spread nationwide. Students have accused the government of failing to address their concerns over poor school conditions and inadequate resources.Demonstrations on October 17 against rising living costs and poor school conditions turned violent, with groups setting fires, looting shops, storming public buildings and clashing with police. Protesters also briefly stormed Marseille City Hall during the unrest.A subsequent round of nationwide demonstrations on Saturday saw less violence. Authorities estimated that more than 400,000 people took part, while organisers put the turnout at nearly 800,000.The unrest has also led to mass arrests and renewed scrutiny of police crowd-control weapons, which have been blamed for causing life-changing injuries to some teenagers.The demands for better-funded schools, particularly in poorer communities, come as France faces record poverty and mounting public debt.