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French school protests continue as closures ease
The education ministry said 224 high schools were closed Thursday morning, then 151 partially reopened, with closures down 30% from Wednesday.
Teenagers in France continued blockading some high schools and marching through cities on Thursday, after the government pledged to address grievances over teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings but did not provide specific details, according to Reuters via SCMP Economy.
The protest movement is now in its third week and has highlighted tensions between demands for investment in deteriorating public services and a cash-strapped government under pressure from bond markets to reduce debt and the deficit.
Hundreds of arrests and dozens of injuries have been reported, alongside a debate over riot police use of force against teenagers. On Wednesday, the government suspended the use of stun grenades in policing of the protests, Reuters reported.
The education ministry said 224 high schools were closed Thursday morning and 151 were partially reopening after closures. It also said the number of closures dropped by 30.0% compared with Wednesday morning, and 94.0% of high schools were either fully or partially open.