The government finally announced some concessions to the high school students: first the replacement by 2028 of the Parcoursup platform—a difficult-to-use digital system that literally decides in the end the profession the students can choose for their ongoing studies. Gone are the days when students discussed with their high school teachers what the best choice would be for them.
Concerning other student demands for less crowded classes, more teachers, and rebuilding dilapidated or inadequate buildings, the State has announced its decision to inject €4 billion to deal with those problems. This will be in the form, not of a state loan—which would immediately increase the debt of the state and infuriate the banks—but in the form of a loan which will be issued and paid back by the local governments. This should barely cover reducing classes to 28 students (from the level of approximately 35 today), creating some 15,000 new places for students in the higher level education dedicated especially to technical professions, and the hiring of 1,900 more teachers. These are mere “crumbs,” said the student movement leaders, some of which were calling for 150,000-250,000 more places for students at the University!
In the meantime, after having set the country on fire on October 17, having totally underestimated, willfully or not, the number of demonstrators, and having deployed only 10,000 police to deal with what became a crowd of 400,000 to 800,000, President Macron is trying to save what he can from his horrific mandate.
He paid a visit to the Mayor of Marseilles on Monday, which was not pre-announced to the media, and actually came up with messages one had not seen since the beginning of the crisis, “recognizing clearly the lack of anticipation of the State before October 17, at Marseilles and elsewhere,” reports Le Monde, and called for Prime Minister Lecornu to “respond to the legitimate demands which are at the roots of the social movement.”
The third round of this fight for social rights is scheduled for Nov. 5. After the two national action days, on Oct. 17 and on Oct. 24 by the high school students and the Yellow Vests, the most important national trade unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, UNSA and FSU) are throwing their weight on the social front battle, and are calling wage increases and job creations in the public sector and the industrial sectors. In a joint communique they state that “the anger is immense … and the social and environmental questions must be dealt with.” They call on “all the workers in the public and the private sectors, the youth and the retired” to go on strike and demonstrate on Nov. 5.