Politics · France · 15 hrs ago
French students balance school protests with exam preparation
High school students in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseille have joined protests over university admissions, teacher absences and a lack of school resources.
Demonstrations have closed hundreds of schools and disrupted lessons.
Some classes are available online, but not all teachers have posted course materials or arranged remote lessons.
Students preparing for France’s baccalaureate exams worry that missed lessons will leave gaps in their knowledge.
Some ask classmates for notes or catch up at the end of the day.
Others use online lessons offered by university students and private tutors.
One student in Ardèche said she is especially concerned because her class previously went months without a French teacher.
The students are trying to continue their studies while taking part in protests, but the account does not say when normal classes will resume.
Thousands of high school students have protested in cities including Paris, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseille over Parcoursup, repeated teacher absences and a lack of resources.
The mobilisations have closed hundreds of schools and disrupted lessons, including some offered by video call.
Some students are trying to catch up while preparing for the baccalaureate, using shared notes, online lessons and evening study.
Louise, a Paris student, estimated she had missed about 15 hours of lessons and worried about falling behind in her exam subjects.
- Who
- High school students, including students preparing for the baccalaureate.
- What
- Students are taking part in school protests while trying to keep up with lessons and exam preparation.
- When
- The protests were ongoing at the time of the article, published on 11 October 2026.
- Where
- Students mobilised in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseille; interviewees also described schools in the Gard and Ardèche.
- Why
- Students protested against Parcoursup, repeated teacher absences and a lack of resources. Some sought ways to avoid falling behind in their studies.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
It's true that in my baccalaureate speciality subjects, I'm afraid of falling behind and struggling during the exams, but at some point we're obliged to make ourselves heard.
It's obvious that we're going to have more or less gaps, things we should have covered this year that we won't have covered, and we'll arrive next year without having covered them.
In the evening I could take a moment with my friends to organise for the blockade, and for the rest of the evening I tried to catch up on everything I'd missed in lessons.
Amélia and her class went about four to six months without a French teacher, according to her account.
Louise said she had gone a week without a philosophy lesson.
franceinfo published its report on students balancing protests with catching up on lessons.
- Mobilisation locations
- Paris, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseille
- School closures
- Hundreds of establishments
- Louise's missed lessons
- About 15 hours, by her estimate
- Amélia's past teacher absence
- About 4 to 6 months without a French teacher in 2025
Sources
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