France's "School Mob" Crisis: Over 400 Schools Shut Amid Student Pr...

France's "School Mob" Crisis: Over 400 Schools Shut Amid Student Protests

More than 400 schools in France closed Friday as student protests spread from Paris to multiple regions, reflecting anger over deteriorating school buildings, long school hours, and teacher shortages. French high schoolers can face school days running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. depending on their schedule. The Interior Ministry said Thursday that 1,027 of France's roughly 3,700 high schools were affected by the protests, with 222 of them blockaded entirely.

The unrest has escalated this week, with some protesters clashing with police and setting fire to school buildings and vehicles. France's education minister is set to meet Friday with teachers' unions, student representatives, and parent groups to address the crisis.

The timing adds pressure on the government, which is simultaneously pushing a 2027 budget aimed at cutting the fiscal deficit — partly through freezing public-sector wages, including teachers' pay — even as protesters' demands for more education funding pull in the opposite direction.