Calls from high school students for massive mobilization have multiplied in view of a “black week”, made up of daily blockages. To try to respond to this anger, the head of government put his ministers to work on Sunday, October 4, with a roadmap aimed at finding rapid solutions to the concerns expressed since the start of the school year by high school students. Denouncing in particular the unsanitary conditions of buildings, overcrowded classes, unreplaced absences and even the inequalities created by Parcoursup, they are demanding more resources for their establishments, particularly in working-class neighborhoods.
The Prime Minister thus launched five projects, resulting from subjects raised by the academic councils of high school life, promising "first decisions before the end of the month". “Dialogue must produce visible changes” in these schools, he added. Franceinfo looks at the directives supposed to respond to some of the demands.
“Provide lessons”
Sébastien Lecornu calls for classes to resume "everywhere" where possible, in his press release published Sunday evening, detailing the projects launched by the executive. The Prime Minister leaves it to school heads to organize “the exact arrangements for resumption and exchanges with students”.
In the longer term, "providing lessons" implies responding to one of the key demands of the high school movement: the replacement of teachers. Concerning short-term absences, the head of government highlights the teachers' pact, a system put in place in 2023 to encourage teachers who wish to do so to make replacements.
“It remains to consolidate and respond to long-term absences that are not replaced,” recognizes Sébastien Lecornu, who asks his ministers to launch “in each academy priority treatment for the replacement of long absences and unfilled positions, particularly in exam classes, specialties and professional education.” “Families will be informed of the procedures and known deadlines and a first assessment will be sent to me by October 16,” he assures.
“Improve the premises”
On this point, the Prime Minister recalls that “the buildings, equipment, catering and boarding facilities of public high schools fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the regional councils”. A meeting will take place on Tuesday between “several ministers” and the presidents of these local authorities in order to allow the State to “support” them. Among the missions selected: “Identify emergencies, specify who is acting, and establish a timetable”.
“Equipped classrooms, clean and equipped sanitary facilities, heating, essential equipment, catering and boarding schools. Studying in degraded premises constitutes an obstacle to education,” continues Sébastien Lecornu, while videos filmed by high school students in their establishment have been widely shared on social networks. There we see dilapidated buildings and extremely degraded material conditions.
Concerning the adaptation of premises to climate change, the objective will be "to initiate feasible interventions before the summer of 2027", further promises the head of government, who asks the ministers responsible for the Ecological Transition and Local Authorities to propose "before the end of October" to the presidents of the regions "the priorities for adaptation to high heat."
“Better organize the days”
To respond to high school students who point to timetables that are too busy and poorly designed (particularly with specialties), the Prime Minister asks to "examine with high school staff and elected officials possible improvements to timetables, the distribution of evaluations and personal working conditions, by involving the local authorities responsible for transport". To do this, he invites them to rely on the interministerial digital department "to improve, thanks to artificial intelligence, the software intended for creating timetables for the next school year."
On the health side, Minister Stéphanie Rist's mission will consist in particular of organizing "proximity responses where access to a nurse, a psychologist or social support is the most difficult", ensuring in particular "the identification of students' suffering and disruptions in support linked to disability". On this point, the “first improvements must be proposed for the start of the school year after the All Saints’ Day holidays”, at the beginning of November.
“Make Parcoursup more transparent”
The fourth project presented by the Prime Minister concerns Parcoursup. The platform for access to higher education is regularly singled out for its complexity and for the stress that its operation generates. “The progress already made in the publication of admission criteria and results must lead to transparency that is truly useful to families,” writes Sébastien Lecornu.
“Each candidate must understand the criteria used by the training courses, their respective importance, the place of notes and specialties, as well as the role of the tools used to examine and classify the files”, he continues, believing that “transparency must also make it possible to understand the response received and the possibilities which remain open”.
The Ministers of National Education and Higher Education, Edouard Geffray and Philippe Baptiste, will propose "before the end of October, real improvements for the 2027 campaign", which opens in January. “Support will begin sufficiently early in high school, with an identified contact person, particularly for families unfamiliar with higher education,” the head of government further specifies.
“Acting on the words of high school students”
How can we rebuild trust between public authorities and high school students, who do not feel listened to by the government? On this point, the Prime Minister cites the online platform open from Monday, as well as “exchanges in establishments and academies until October 16”, which “will nourish these projects”.
These discussions "must in particular give particular importance to students and families far from the authorities, as well as to staff in the diversity of their professions", insists Sébastien Lecornu, who asks that "the first decisions, their cost, their financing and their timetable" be presented to him "before the end of October".
“The academic reports and the national restitution at the end of October will take into account the requests and responses, including the unsuccessful proposals. A first implementation point will be given to me before the end of the year,” he specifies. “Trust will be restored when everyone can see what is changing in their school.”
