French schools to close again on Monday amid protests
Lessons will be fully or partially suspended at 400 to 500 French lycées.
Follow-up to: Hundreds of French schools remain closed after protests Sunday, 4 October 2026, 15:01
Hundreds of French secondary schools will again close fully or partially on Monday because of continuing protests. The government says safety conditions have not been met in many buildings, while pupils are demanding better facilities and more staff.
According to Education Minister Édouard Geffray, lessons will be suspended at 400 to 500 lycées on Monday. These are schools where buildings have been damaged, staff have been attacked or blockades do not, according to the authorities, sufficiently guarantee the safety of pupils and employees.
Geffray said on Sunday that 78 education staff had been injured since the protests began. Twenty-four educational establishments are also said to have been damaged or set on fire. Those figures come from the minister; an independent overall tally is not yet available.
The protests began in the Paris region and then spread to other French cities. According to international reporting, pupils are complaining about a shortage of teachers, cancelled lessons, overcrowded classes, poorly maintained buildings and long school days. As a result, the movement has acquired both an educational and a broader political dimension.
The government is trying to partially resume lessons where possible. In some areas, remote education is being offered. At the same time, additional police units have been deployed around schools where blockades, vandalism or confrontations are expected. The government says peaceful protest is permitted, but that violence and damage do not fall under the right to demonstrate.
The precise extent of support among pupils is difficult to establish. Some schools have been blockaded by pupils demanding better conditions; elsewhere, incidents have been reported in which, according to the authorities, people from outside the school were also involved. Government members point to possible political influence, while teachers' unions warn that the original education problems must not disappear from view because of the issue of public order.
Another mobilisation is scheduled for Tuesday. That leaves it uncertain how quickly the schools can fully reopen and whether talks with pupils, parents and education staff can curb the protests. For Dutch readers, the key point is that the conflict is not only about demonstrations, but also about how much scope schools have to resume lessons when staff and buildings are not safe.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Lessons will be fully or partially suspended at 400 to 500 lycées on Monday.
- The government links the closures to safety problems, blockades and damage.
- Pupils are calling, among other things, for more staff, better buildings and more resources.
- The minister reports 78 injured education staff and 24 establishments that were damaged or set on fire.
Left
Arguments The protests expose a structural problem: pupils and staff cannot provide good education without enough teachers, funding and safe buildings. The government should first resolve the education crisis and be restrained in adopting an approach focused mainly on public order and policing.
Values Equal educational opportunities, public services and worker protection.
Consequences Greater investment and consultation could restore confidence, but would take time and require additional public spending.
Centre
Arguments Safety and the right to education must be protected at the same time. Schools can only open if buildings and staff allow it; a temporary, partial reopening based on local consultation is therefore the obvious approach.
Values Continuity, proportionality and administrative feasibility.
Consequences A phased approach could prevent escalation, but may allow the underlying grievances to continue.
Right
Arguments Violence, vandalism and blockades must not determine access to education. The state must protect schools, seek compensation for damage where legally possible and make clear that political demands must be addressed through consultation and elections.
Values Public order, responsibility and protection of property.
Consequences A hard line may restore calm more quickly, but there is a risk that peaceful pupils will also feel excluded.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core facts have been confirmed by recent reporting from AP, Euronews and The Guardian. The figures for injured staff and damaged schools have clearly been attributed to the minister.
- confirmed Lessons will be suspended at 400 to 500 French lycées on Monday. — The French Minister of Education reported this on Sunday; AP, Euronews and The Guardian reported on it. source
- confirmed According to Minister Geffray, 78 education staff have been injured. — The figure is attributed to the minister by AFP and international media. source
- confirmed The protests concern, among other things, staff shortages and poor school buildings. — AP and Euronews cite these demands as reasons for the movement. source
- confirmed Another mobilisation is scheduled for Tuesday. — Euronews reports a new day of action on Tuesday. source
Editor's note
The new development is the announced closure of 400 to 500 schools on Monday. Figures for injured staff and damaged establishments have been attributed to the French minister; a fully independent overview is lacking.Sources
The story so far
- Thursday, 1 October 2026, 14:03 French pupils' protests spread
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 00:01 France to close 400 schools on Friday amid pupil protests
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 09:01 Damage from French school protests remains disputed
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 13:05 French school protests escalate: nearly 2,000 arrests
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 22:02 French government seeks way out after school protests
- Friday, 2 October 2026, 23:08 French minister meets students after school protest escalation
- Saturday, 3 October 2026, 13:27 French school protests lead to more than 5,000 detentions
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 15:01 Hundreds of French schools remain closed after protests
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 20:06 French schools to close again on Monday amid protests (this article)