(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Ji-heon = Analysis is being made that the government's education spending, which has been stagnant for about 10 years, is behind the nationwide protests in France against outdated school facilities and teacher shortages.
According to data from the French Ministry of Education cited by Reuters on the 3rd (local time), the average education budget expenditure per secondary student in France (based on constant 2024 prices) virtually remained stagnant, from 11,910 euros in 2010 to 11,660 euros in 2024.
Although France's education budget remains at a mid-level level among member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), real spending per capita has remained stagnant for a long time.
In the 2027 budget plan released by the French government on the 1st, the education budget (nominal) growth rate was only 1.7%, falling short of the inflation rate.
The protest, which started at a high school in the southeastern suburbs of Paris on the 21st of last month, spread to the Paris region and then nationwide from the 29th of last month.
Students are demanding that the government improve the educational environment, citing excessive class schedules, overcrowded classes, chronic teacher shortages, and aging facilities.
Students' complaints seem to be particularly concentrated in low-income areas.
Maisa (17), a 17-year-old student who participated in the protest in front of Le Corbusier High School on the northern outskirts of Paris, told Reuters, "I took the Korean language test last year without a French teacher," and "I can't study in this environment."
A parent representative reported that classes in several subjects, including math, English, and physical education, were canceled at this school after the school opened due to a shortage of teachers.
The French Confederation of Labor (CGT) said that two-thirds of high schools in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, a northern outskirt of Paris with a high poverty rate, participated in protests on the 1st. A union survey found that two-thirds of schools in the region were unable to fill their teacher quota.
Students and teachers have had to take on additional burdens in response to the government's introduction of the university admissions application platform (Parkurschif) in 2018, Reuters reported. Some criticize this system for deepening inequality in college admissions.
Willis Rabat, a political scientist at the University of Paris VIII, said, "It is those at the bottom of society who feel the most violent shock when public services and public education are broken." He said the protests show that marginalized urban areas are having a growing influence on national politics.
The French government's high government debt ratio and fiscal deficit serve as factors that make it difficult to increase education spending.
France's fiscal deficit to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio is expected to increase from 5.1% last year to 5.4% this year. Accordingly, on the 1st, the government proposed a spending reduction plan worth 43 billion euros (about 65 trillion won).
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed that the government, which must promote fiscal soundness, faces the difficult task of appeasing protesters demanding more resources for schools while avoiding new large-scale spending promises.
This protest has already caused the government to retreat once in its policies. The government included a plan in next year's budget to impose tuition fees on some students who enter college or grande école preparatory courses after graduating from high school, but withdrew the plan as student protests intensified. This plan was one of the policies that increased opposition from protestors.
As the government fails to present a clear solution, the protests do not appear to be abating easily.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez appeared on France's TF1 broadcast on the 2nd and announced that more than 5,000 people have been arrested in connection with student protests since the 28th of last month. On the 1st and 2nd alone, 1,954 and 1,747 people were arrested, respectively. Approximately 85% of those arrested were minors.
Nunez explained that police intervened when there was rioting, property damage and acts of violence.
Labor and student groups have announced a large-scale rally on the 6th to continue to pressure the government.
The protests also spread into political conflict ahead of next year's presidential election, in which French President Emmanuel Macron's successor will be chosen.
Minister Nunez assessed the scale of the protests as surprising and cited the influence of social networking services (SNS) and the radical progressive political party, France Unbowed (LFI), as the cause.
Education Minister Édouard Jeffre also hinted that radical forces are behind the intensification of the protests, saying, “The high school student movement is being held hostage by a small group with extreme violent tendencies.”
Marine Le Pen, a presidential candidate for the far-right National Coalition (RN), also said earlier, "This is no longer a protest by high school students. This is a riot organized by experts and directed by LFI members."
On the other hand, LFI criticized the government for "indulging in conspiracy theories," AFP reported. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is also a presidential candidate, emphasized that he supports non-violent protests, but refuted that criticizing the left would not solve the fundamental cause of the protests.
