French student protests leave 130 high schools closed as Macron says grievances will take time to address and urges calm

About 130 high schools in France remained closed on Monday amid weeks of student protests over school conditions, the Education Ministry said. It reported that 96.5% of the country’s 3,700 high schools were open, as authorities hoped the movement would ease ahead of the half-term holidays.

Students have blockaded hundreds of school entrances, citing absent teachers, overloaded timetables, crowded classrooms and deteriorating buildings. During a visit to the Paris Motor Show, President Emmanuel Macron said addressing their grievances would take time and urged calm, order and respect for people and property.

The ministry said violence was intensifying and several education staff had been injured. The government has promised to deploy 3,000 substitute teachers to schools affected by staff shortages. Police have opened internal investigations into allegations of brutality, while the Justice Ministry said more than 6,800 people—largely minors—had been taken into police custody.

Separately, police arrested a 14-year-old in Aubagne, near Marseille, after a middle school headmaster and a teacher were shot with a hunting rifle. There was no immediate indication that the incident was connected to the high school protests.

The protests have involved blockades and clashes in recent weeks, with students pressing for better-resourced schools and improved learning conditions.