Education ministers to meet student groups amid escalating lycée protests

A third meeting between French education officials and lycée organisations is set for Thursday afternoon, bringing together ministers Édouard Geffray and Philippe Baptiste with student representatives such as Pierre Sourzat. The talks will focus on demands over school infrastructure, the Parcoursup admissions system and timetable reforms, after previous sessions left student groups dissatisfied. Authorities say that out of 3,700 secondary schools, one-third have seen no disturbance, another third experienced brief, limited disruptions, and the remaining third faced more serious unrest, including 37 partially burned sites and 160 blocked schools on Wednesday.

Police union Alliance has lodged a legal complaint alleging the state put officers at risk due to conflicting directives, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s statements have been criticized. Interior Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported 149 teacher injuries, many caused by projectiles such as mortars.