France to Close Up to 500 Schools Monday as Pupil Protests Escalate

On Monday, up to 500 French high schools will experience full or partial closures, as announced by Education Minister Edouard Geffray on Sunday, due to inadequate security conditions. Approximately 400 to 500 lycées will have lessons "totally or partly suspended," a decision primarily aimed at ensuring safety ahead of significant demonstrations scheduled for Tuesday by protest leaders. Geffray noted that since the protests began, 24 schools have been either burned or vandalized. Students from France's secondary schools, known as lycées, are expressing concerns over disrupted education stemming from high teacher absenteeism, excessively long school days, and deteriorating facilities. This surge in student protests has alarmed the nation, prompting the ministry's preemptive measures.