Up to 500 French high schools are expected to partially or completely suspend classes on Monday amid escalating student protests and clashes with riot police.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said security conditions remained inadequate at between 400 and 500 schools. He also revealed that 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the demonstrations began.
The protests, which started in Paris last week, have spread to cities including Marseille, Nantes and Montpellier. Students are demanding more teachers, less crowded classrooms and improvements to ageing school buildings.
Authorities say the unrest has disrupted hundreds of schools. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 735 schools had been affected by violent protests by Friday, while 1,747 people were arrested that day.
AFP reports that more than 5,000 people have been arrested since the movement began, most of them minors.
Geffray accused far-left activists of hijacking the student protests and contributing to the violence, while noting that 78 education workers had been injured.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised measures to keep classes running and improve conditions in schools, while the government is also reviewing legislation aimed at making those responsible for vandalism pay for the damage.
Student organisers, however, have called for further demonstrations on Tuesday, saying the government’s response has not yet produced concrete measures.
