
USL union reports record level of protests over problems in education system
AI-generated summary
Students are protesting against teacher shortages and overcrowded school schedules.
Student protests in France affected 1,800 high schools on Tuesday, the Union of High School Students (USL) reports.
“USL today counts 1.8 thousand lyceums that were blocked, affected by demonstrations or closed by decision of the Ministry of Education. The level of protests reaches a new record,” the union said in a statement on social networks.
Earlier, the BFMTV channel reported that up to 200 thousand people could take part in protests in France on Tuesday. It is expected that there will be a massive participation of high school students and students with the support of the trade union movement of education employees.

Students from the Lyceum Camillo Cavour in the center of Rome occupied the school building and held a demonstration under the slogan “Let’s do it like in France”, having previously participated in a procession in the San Lorenzo area under the slogan “Les Blocages” with the participation of more than 20 educational institutions. Organizers plan to expand the protest to other schools in Rome.

Thousands of students gathered at Paris' Republic Square to demand increased education funding over defense spending. Protesters cited deteriorating school infrastructure and teacher shortages, as nationwide demonstrations continue to spread across France.

Rumors have spread online about the reduction of hours of mathematics, physics and chemistry in Russian schools based on the words of Valery Fadeev. In fact, the Ministry of Education does not plan to reduce subjects, but on the contrary, it is increasing the workload and the number of specialized students.

According to the explanatory note to the draft federal budget of Russia for 2027–2029, more than 370 billion rubles are provided for scholarships to students in these years. The amount of payments will increase annually: in 2027 - 119,102.2 million rubles, in 2028 - 123,728.1 million rubles, in 2029 - 128,757.9 million rubles.

Director of the Department of Consumer Rights Protection of Roskachestvo Igor Pozdnyakov explained that maternity capital can be used for the education of any child in the family, including preschool, school, higher and additional education, as well as for the maintenance of the child and payment for the hostel, provided that education begins before the age of 25 and the organization is licensed in Russia. To receive funds, you must submit an application through the MFC, State Services or Social Fund with an identification document and an agreement on educational services.

Russian schoolchildren have begun to more often choose physics to take the Unified State Exam; from 2027, a physics exam may become mandatory for admission to 37 areas of higher education; President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov emphasized the need for balance when admitting Olympiad students.