Politics · France · 14 hrs ago
Attal and Mélenchon clash over France’s university admissions system
Gabriel Attal and Jean-Luc Mélenchon are arguing over student anger in France.
Attal, a candidate for the Renaissance party, spoke at a rally in Lyon, while Mélenchon leads the France Unbowed party.
Their dispute centers on Parcoursup, the platform used to apply for places in higher education.
Mélenchon says the system creates anxiety and competition, and wants it abolished.
Attal says keeping Parcoursup is better than returning to the previous system, which used a lottery for some places.
He accuses Mélenchon of favoring university admissions without enough attention to whether students can succeed or find work.
Mélenchon is due to hold a rally in Clermont-Ferrand on Sunday.
Gabriel Attal and Jean-Luc Mélenchon clashed over France’s Parcoursup university admissions platform amid anger among high school students.
Mélenchon called for Parcoursup to be abolished, describing it as a source of anxiety for young people.
Attal defended the platform and said abolishing it would not by itself resolve young people’s unease.
Attal accused Mélenchon of supporting “selection through failure” by proposing that everyone be sent to university.
The two politicians traded criticism as they held or planned campaign meetings in Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand.
- Who
- Gabriel Attal, a Renaissance candidate, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France insoumise.
- What
- They clashed over Parcoursup, France’s platform for applying to higher education.
- When
- October 10-11, 2026.
- Where
- Attal spoke at a campaign meeting in Lyon; Mélenchon was due to hold a meeting in Clermont-Ferrand.
- Why
- They disagreed over whether Parcoursup should be abolished and what is driving high school students’ anger.
Gabriel Attal
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Parcoursup
Gabriel Attal
Attal said he did not want to abolish the platform and recalled that the system before it used a lottery.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Mélenchon called for Parcoursup to be abolished, describing it as a source of anxiety for high school students.
University access
Gabriel Attal
Attal said Mélenchon’s plan would send everyone to university without considering whether they could succeed or find work afterward.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Mélenchon argued that students are told they need good results to get into their chosen university and criticized competition between institutions.
Responsibility
Gabriel Attal
Attal said he had been the parliamentary rapporteur for the law that created Parcoursup.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Mélenchon said Attal was responsible for the system’s creation.
The only project Jean-Luc Mélenchon has is to send everyone to university without worrying whether they will succeed there or whether they will have a job afterward.
Parcoursup is the source of anxiety for high school students.
If abolishing Parcoursup were enough to end young people’s unease, I would be the first to ask for it.
It was Mr Attal who invented it. He was the rapporteur of the law. It was not me.
Attal criticized Mélenchon’s position at a campaign meeting in Lyon.
Mélenchon mocked Attal’s style in a post on X.
Mélenchon was expected to hold a campaign meeting in Clermont-Ferrand.
- Platform
- Parcoursup, France’s higher-education application system
- Attal’s meeting
- Lyon, October 10, 2026
- Mélenchon’s planned meeting
- Clermont-Ferrand, October 11, 2026
- Attal’s role
- Rapporteur of the law that created Parcoursup
Sources
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