The French Government announced this Monday, October 26, a package of educational reforms aimed at responding to the student protests that have spread across the country in recent weeks. Among the main measures is the replacement of the Parcoursup university access system in 2028, along with the creation of 15,000 additional places in higher education and the reduction of the number of students per classroom. However, student representatives believe that the Government's commitments are insufficient and have confirmed that they will continue the mobilizations.
The announcement comes after almost a month of demonstrations, blockades of educational centers, and clashes with security forces, in a crisis that has transcended the university sphere and incorporated social and economic demands. The Government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is trying to contain the discontent through educational concessions, although a good part of the announced reforms will not come into effect until 2027 or 2028.
The response from student organizations has been immediate. Despite acknowledging some progress, their representatives believe that the measures do not address the structural problems of the French educational system and maintain the call for a new national day of protests for November 5.
The Government promises to replace Parcoursup in 2028
The main concession from the Government affects Parcoursup, the national platform that manages applications for access to higher education and has become one of the main targets of the protests. Students question the transparency of its selection criteria and denounce the inequalities that, in their view, it generates among candidates for a university place.
The Government has announced that the system will be replaced in 2028, although it plans to introduce modifications starting in 2027. The reform aims to respond to criticisms regarding the functioning of the admission procedure, the transformation of which constitutes one of the main demands of the student movement.
However, the announced timeline has provoked new criticisms among the protesters, who demand more immediate responses. The replacement of Parcoursup would occur in two years, while students believe that the difficulties in accessing higher education require urgent measures.
More university places and fewer students per class
The package presented by the Executive also includes the creation of 15,000 additional places in higher education, distributed among different training modalities. Of these, 10,000 will correspond to higher technical studies, another 4,000 to university technology institutes, and the remaining 1,000 to health education.
The expansion of the educational offer seeks to alleviate the pressure on certain academic pathways and facilitate young people's access to higher studies, especially in areas with high demand.
In secondary education, the Government has announced a reduction in class sizes, with a maximum of 28 students in certain courses. This measure will be accompanied by actions aimed at strengthening teacher replacements and increasing teaching contracts.
The reforms also include an update of scholarships linked to inflation and funding to rehabilitate educational and university centers, two issues related to the economic difficulties reported by students.
Although the Executive presents these initiatives as a response to the demands of the educational sector, their progressive implementation has fueled doubts about the measures' ability to reduce discontent in the short term.
Students maintain protests and call for new mobilizations
Student representatives have received the announcements with skepticism and believe that the Government has not addressed all their demands. Among the main criticisms is the delay in implementing the reforms, especially in the case of Parcoursup, whose replacement is not scheduled until 2028.
Louis Letoublon, one of the representatives of the student movement, has warned after contacts with the Executive that the announced concessions are not enough to end the protests. The organizations maintain their intention to continue mobilizing until they obtain responses they consider satisfactory.
The discontent also reflects problems that go beyond access to university, such as the material conditions of educational centers, the economic difficulties of young people, and the job prospects of those who finish their studies.
The next national day of protests is scheduled for November 5, a call that will allow checking the mobilization capacity of the movement after the concessions announced by the Government.
Macron acknowledges mistakes amid the escalation of protests
The educational crisis has also taken on a political dimension for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, after several weeks of demonstrations and episodes of violence that have forced the reinforcement of security measures.
During an intervention held this Monday in Marseille, Macron acknowledged that the authorities did not adequately anticipate the violence recorded on October 17, although he defended the actions of the security forces during the riots.
The president has also warned of the risks associated with the upcoming mobilizations, in a context of tension between the protesters and the authorities that has complicated the political response of the Executive.
The student protests have developed alongside other expressions of social discontent, with the participation of unions and groups critical of government policies. This confluence has broadened the scope of a crisis that began linked to educational demands and now poses a new challenge for Lecornu's Government.
The response announced by the Executive introduces relevant changes in the French educational system, but has not managed to deactivate the mobilizations. With the replacement of Parcoursup postponed until 2028 and a new day of protests called for November, the French Government continues to seek a way out of a crisis that keeps students in the streets.