France promises to replace university admissions platform; student groups say package falls short

The French government on Monday, October 26, promised to replace Parcoursup, the national online platform for university admissions. It also announced up to €4 billion in low-interest loans for school renovations, along with measures on class sizes, teaching posts and new university places. Ministers presented the package in Paris after weeks of student protests, some of which turned violent this month.

The package is the government's broadest attempt yet to end a movement that began with high school blockades in mid-September and has since drawn in workers angry about the cost of living. It comes six months before a presidential election in which, The Globe and Mail reported, far-right leader Marine Le Pen leads the polls.

What the government offered

Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste said Parcoursup would undergo "substantial change" for the 2027 admissions round and be replaced in 2028, according to ABC News and The Globe and Mail. Students have criticised the platform's unclear selection criteria and unequal access to popular courses. The Globe and Mail, citing the Higher Education Ministry, said a record 1.05 million people applied through it this year.

The Globe and Mail described the interim changes for 2027. Institutions would publish more detailed selection criteria. The platform would attach an explanation to each rejection, and applicants could ask institutions for the reasons behind a decision. A committee of students and teachers is to make its first recommendations for the replacement system by the end of November. The government said it would legislate if the changes require it.

The Globe and Mail also reported these other measures:

• 15,000 additional higher education places across 2027 and 2028, mostly in vocational and technical programmes;
• student grants raised in line with inflation from the start of the 2027 academic year;
• a cap of 28 students in some first-year high school classes from 2027, beginning with more disadvantaged schools;
• cancellation of planned cuts to secondary school teaching posts, plus 500 new jobs;
• up to €4 billion (about US$4.5 billion) in low-interest loans to regional authorities for school renovations through 2030, and a separate €1 billion state plan for university renovations through 2029.

The announcements, as reported, did not include a total cost for the package or say how it would be financed.

Earlier on Monday, during a visit to Marseille, President Emmanuel Macron had promised "concrete measures." ABC News reported him as saying: "I have asked the government to address the legitimate demands at the root of this protest movement." Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and other officials met high school and university student representatives before the ministers' news conference.

Student groups want more

Two high school student groups welcomed parts of the package but called for protests to continue, ABC News and The Globe and Mail reported. "I emphasize the term 'some,'" Nathanaël Combary of the group Renouveau Lycéen told The Globe and Mail, referring to the demands the government had met.

Clément Vieillot of the Mouvement Cachan 94 student group was more critical. "We have received crumbs compared to what we are asking for," he said, according to The Globe and Mail. He contrasted the government's 15,000 new places with the students' demand for 250,000.

Much of the package will fall to the next government to deliver. Macron cannot seek a third consecutive term. The Globe and Mail reported that the first round of the presidential election is set for April 18, 2027, and the runoff for May 2. The replacement admissions platform has yet to be designed, and the school renovation loans run to 2030.

Background: weeks of unrest

The protests began in mid-September with blockades of high schools. Students asked for more teachers to cover absences, renovated buildings, changes to teaching hours and smaller classes, particularly in poorer areas. On October 8, the government said it would deploy 3,000 additional substitute teachers to struggling high schools, ABC News reported.

On October 17, protests over school funding and living costs escalated into some of the most serious unrest France has seen in years. Protesters looted shops, set fires and clashed with police, and Marseille's City Hall was briefly stormed. The Globe and Mail reported that the 19th-century town hall in Limoges was set on fire and lost its roof and clock tower. The same outlet said about 2,400 people had been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, while hundreds of thousands of others marched peacefully.

The government has faced criticism for the speed of its response. Police riot-control weapons have also come under scrutiny after being blamed for life-changing injuries to some teenagers.

Nationwide marches on Saturday were less violent. Authorities put turnout at 410,000, according to The Globe and Mail, while organisers said nearly 800,000 took part. The Globe and Mail reported that 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed, and that Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 1,435 people were arrested in connection with the weekend's protests.

What comes next

Sky News reported concern about possible unrest around Halloween. The student-teacher committee's recommendations on the Parcoursup replacement are due by the end of November. Those proposals, and whether they require new legislation, will indicate how much of the package can be put in place before the presidency changes hands.

Sources: AP News, Sky News – World, France 24, ABC News – International, The Globe and Mail – World

Picture: Sky News – World