Occitanie Region faces student protests and budget pressures

Since September 29, the Occitanie Region has been dealing with protests by high school students and a government planning a strict 2027 budget for local authorities. The Region oversees the management of 226 public high schools but does not have control over teachers or the Parcoursup college application system.

Regional officials criticize government response

On Wednesday, elected officials responsible for education and youth addressed the press, stating their position and assigning responsibility to the State. Kamel Chibli emphasized the legitimacy of student demands and criticized the government's lack of response, highlighting concerns about Parcoursup, overcrowded classes, and the use of private high school teachers.

Region expects State to share financial responsibility

Guillaume de Almeida Chaves, a regional councilor for youth, stated that the Region is taking its share of responsibility and expects the State to do the same. The Region cites figures showing a loss of 800 million euros in allocations over a decade and 500 million euros in three years.

New savings demands could strain Occitanie

The new billion in savings requested from the Regions would cost Occitanie between 100 and 200 million euros, equivalent to two consecutive years of high school renovations. Kamel Chibli acknowledged some shortcomings, including infrastructure efforts and the need for dialogue and information for youth, but emphasized that the Region cannot perform miracles with potential further cuts.

Region claims to have preserved education funding

Despite budget constraints, the Region claims to have preserved education, allocating 74 million euros annually to support families with resources such as computers, free school transport, textbooks, and vocational training equipment, or more than 1,000 euros per student according to Kamel Chibli.