"Over 5,000 Students Detained This Week Alone" Amid Mass Protests and Injuries in France

[Anchor]

High school student protests are spreading nationwide in France, leading to major clashes in various places. More than 5,000 students have been detained by police this week alone. The students who took to the streets are demanding improved educational conditions.

Kwon Yeongin reports from Paris.

[Reporter]

A high school building in western France is engulfed in flames.

Flames soar across downtown areas in France, and violent physical clashes break out between police and students.

The student protests, which began at a high school in the suburbs of Paris on September 21, are spreading across the entire country.

On October 1, protests took place at about 1,200 schools, accounting for nearly one-third of all high schools nationwide, and more than 5,000 protesters have been detained by police so far.

Injuries are mounting as well, with about 400 police officers and 70 school staff members hurt.

One student reportedly lost sight in one eye after being hit in the eye by a rubber bullet fired by police.

Ultimately, education authorities took steps to close schools last Friday.

This is a high school near Paris.

As student protests intensified, education authorities ordered the closure of about 400 high schools across France.

As a result, the entrance gates are blocked like this.

Students point to poor educational conditions as the biggest problem.

[Lila / French Student : Students are taking classes in extremely run-down classrooms. Rain leaks through the ceiling, there are not even enough desks to sit at, and the classrooms are swarming with mice.]

[Ines / French Student : In the summer, it is scorching hot. Last year, I took national exams in a heatwave exceeding 30°C (86°F) without air conditioning, and it was really hard to endure. We cannot continue studying under these conditions.]

Teachers are also severely lacking.

Last year, classes canceled due to a lack of teachers totaled 15.4 million hours in France, accounting to 7.5% of all instructional time.

That means classes could not be held for one hour every two days due to the absence of teachers.

[Natan / French Student : Even for core subjects where we have to take the French language exam or major college entrance exams, there are cases where we are left without a teacher for three to four months. This is a serious problem for countless students.]

The main cause is cited as the cash-strapped government effectively freezing the education budget for over a decade.

While the Minister of Education held meetings with representatives of students and parents and stated that measures to address issues such as teacher shortages would be formulated immediately, students have announced plans for a large-scale rally on October 6.

(Video Reported by Kim Si-nae | Video Edited by Choi Jin-hwa | Source: X (@BREF_ACTUALITES))
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.