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The French government has announced billions of euros in additional funding for schools and universities, along with smaller class sizes and new teaching posts, after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu met student union representatives in Paris.

High school and university student unions said they would keep demonstrating for better learning conditions, describing the concessions as scraps and urging continued pressure on the government.

Funding for school buildings and class sizes

Education Minister Edouard Geffray told a press conference in Paris that an extra 4 billion euros in credit would be provided to departmental and regional authorities for repairs to middle and high school buildings.

Geffray said the pressure on students and the number of pupils per class both needed to come down. In half of disadvantaged high schools, class sizes will be capped at 28 students next year, with the rest following at the start of the 2028 school year. The government will also open 500 additional teaching posts for high schools and drop a planned cut of 836 teacher positions at middle and high schools.

University funding and Parcoursup changes

Minister for Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste announced 1 billion euros more for repairs to university buildings. Another 15,000 student places will be opened in higher education, and grants will be indexed to inflation, Baptiste said.

Baptiste also said the Parcoursup platform used for undergraduate applications will undergo serious changes in 2027 and will be replaced by a new system in 2028.

Unions urge protests to continue

Representatives of several high school and university student unions called for demonstrations to go on, saying learning conditions still needed to improve despite the meeting with Lecornu and the government's announcements.

Sabrine Karbach, spokesperson for the Student Union (UE), said the protests had won some gains but that they amounted to "scraps." Karbach said high school and university students would stay mobilised for November 5, when trade unions have called a general strike, and urged students to keep pressing the government.

Weeks of student action

High school students in France began their actions on September 17, demanding better education conditions.

Key takeaways

• The government pledged 4 billion euros for school building repairs and 1 billion euros for universities.
• Class sizes in disadvantaged high schools will be capped at 28 students, next year in half of them and from the 2028 school year in the rest.
• Parcoursup will change significantly in 2027 and be replaced by a new platform in 2028.
• Student unions called for protests to continue and for mobilisation on November 5.