France Cancels Teacher Cuts to Ease Pressure on Students

Istanbul (ANTARA) — French Education Minister Edouard Geffray has announced a series of measures to ease pressure on secondary-school students, including cancelling planned teacher cuts and renovating schools.

Geffray said the government had cancelled plans to cut 836 posts in state secondary education and would create 500 additional secondary-school teaching positions, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

The measures were announced after protests over the state of education in France resumed over the weekend.

Geffray acknowledged that students faced academic pressure linked to the Parcoursup university admissions platform, specialisation choices and overcrowded classrooms.

“We must tangibly reduce pressure in these schools; we must reduce the number of pupils per class,” Geffray said at a press conference.

From the 2027 school year, the government will cap class sizes at 28 pupils in half of the lower-secondary schools serving disadvantaged communities.

The policy will be extended to the other half of schools, located in more affluent areas, from the 2028 school year.

Geffray also said Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu had decided to provide an additional €4 billion through subsidised-interest loans to local and departmental authorities.

The funds will help finance renovations at lower- and upper-secondary schools.

According to Geffray, the funding will allow local authorities to secure financing on more favourable terms and speed up school renovation work.