0
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray (left) and Higher Education and Research Minister Philippe Baptiste leave the Élysée Palace in Paris on Oct. 14 (local time). / AFP, Yonhap

The French government moved to ease public discontent on Oct. 26 (local time), announcing concrete measures in response to demands from student groups for improvements to the education system.

According to France 24, Politico and other media outlets, the government said it would carry out a major overhaul of Parcoursup, the higher education admissions platform criticized by student groups for its lack of transparency and inequality, by 2028. The reforms would clarify admission criteria, provide applicants with explanatory information on why they were rejected, and allow them to obtain the reasons for rejection upon request.

The government also pledged to provide a total of €5 billion (approximately 7.4 trillion won) in low-interest loans for renovations of educational facilities, including €4 billion (approximately 5.9 trillion won) for middle and high schools and €1 billion (approximately 1.5 trillion won) for universities, while creating 500 additional teaching positions.

It also promised measures including an additional 15,000 admission places at higher education institutions in industrial, healthcare and technical fields, and a cap of 28 students per class in the first year of high school.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said at a press conference after meeting with representatives of high school and university students alongside Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Higher Education and Research Minister Philippe Baptiste, "None of the decisions we are making are empty promises," adding, "Everything we have announced will be implemented and honored based on concrete timelines and figures."

At the same event, Baptiste explained, "Parcoursup is based on legislation," adding, "A two-stage transition is necessary."

He continued, "Consequently, some of Parcoursup's parameters can only be changed through legislative amendments."

Student representatives welcomed the government's reform proposals but maintained that they would continue protesting because the measures alone were insufficient to bring the demonstrations to an end.

Sabrine Karbach, a representative of one of the organizations belonging to a student coalition, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "We have achieved some results through our protests, but they still amount to very little."

The groups have long raised complaints about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and aging school facilities.

They have staged protests across the country for weeks, demanding large-scale investment in improvements and sufficient university places to guarantee admission to higher education for all high school graduates. Some of the demonstrations have turned violent.

Security authorities are making extensive preparations for protests scheduled for Oct. 31, Halloween, which they expect could become another critical moment.

French President Emmanuel Macron said during a meeting with merchants, police officers and civil servants in Marseille on Oct. 26, "We are ready to take measures to respond to the legitimate demands underlying the social movement."

                                                                                                            Kim Hyun-min