Student unions refuse to compromise

Marius Mesnil, vice-president of the Union syndicale lycéenne (USL), stated on RMC that the student unions would remain uncompromising, emphasizing that they would not choose between having teachers and having well-maintained classrooms. This came ahead of a meeting scheduled between student organizations and the President of the Republic on the same day.

Petition gathers support

Since October 5, a petition initiated by the Union étudiante, a student union close to La France insoumise, has been circulating on change.org and has gathered over 93,000 signatures. The petition contains ten "urgent" proposals on behalf of youth. Several left-wing and far-left unions are signatories, including Fage, USL, Union nationale des étudiants de France (Unef), and Solidaires étudiants.

Government responds cautiously

Philippe Baptiste, the Minister of Higher Education, stated on BFMTV on October 7 that the government would discuss the proposals, but would not make a 10 billion euro commitment at that time. The first proposal is an emergency plan to renovate school and university buildings. The unions are concerned about the state of school infrastructure and demand that the government undertake an emergency plan to adapt the establishments to climate change, including the installation of air conditioning to combat heatwaves and heating to deal with cold waves.

Infrastructure and maintenance demands

The unions insist that the state must commit to maintaining school facilities and ensuring clean and functional restrooms in all schools across France. They request more material and human resources to achieve this. The second proposal is the mass hiring of educational, health, and support staff. The student unions and university unions want better support, including the opening of positions for teachers to ensure that every class has a teacher and to end inequalities between schools.

Health and support staff needs

They also want nurses, career counselors, and psychologists for every 500 students. A report by the National Assembly published in December 2020 indicated approximately one school nurse per 1,300 students. It also cited the Moro-Brison report from 2016, which noted one psychologist per 1,600 students in France. The third measure involves rethinking school and university schedules.

Rethinking schedules and reforms

The signatory unions believe that the government should base its decisions on the results of the "Citizens' Convention on the Time for Children for the National Education" and initiate work on higher education to better respect the needs and well-being of students. They demand a lunch break of at least 1 hour and 30 minutes and want the government to reconsider the baccalaureate reform.

Reforming selection and access

The fourth proposal is to end selection through Parcoursup and Mon Master and create 250,000 additional places in higher education. The stress associated with Parcoursup has led student unions to call for a reform of the platform by eliminating the selection process. Young people want to ensure that students can access their chosen fields of study without being subject to algorithmic selection and that all students who wish to continue to a master's degree can do so.

Student democracy and representation

The fifth proposal concerns the reform of the student democracy system to allow students to genuinely participate in decision-making. The proposal aims to replace the current plural ballot system, where students vote for individuals without party labels, with a list ballot system that would allow for syndical representation in the School Council (CVL), elected at the school level, and in the Academic School Council (CAVL), elected at the regional level.

Scholarship and financial support

The sixth proposal is to increase scholarships and restore and enhance the APL for all students. The unions want measures to combat student precariousness, including an increase of 200 euros per month in student scholarships, paid over twelve months, and allowing an additional 300,000 students to enter the scholarship system. They also propose the establishment of a student autonomy income of 1,337 euros per month to ensure that all students have the necessary means to study.

Access to affordable meals

The seventh proposal is to guarantee the real access to the one-euro meal for all students. The unions are demanding that the government provide the necessary means for the Crous to meet the high demand in university canteens. Since the generalization of the one-euro meal at Crous, long queues have formed in dining areas, preventing some students from eating due to the time constraints between noon and 2 PM.

Repealing tuition fees and taxes

The eighth proposal is to repeal the "Bienvenue en France" plan, which introduces differentiated tuition fees for international students, and to abolish the CVEC. The unions are also targeting the differentiated tuition fees for international students, stating that they "implement national preference and a racist logic in higher education." In practice, the implementation of these rights means that most non-EU student residents pay annual tuition fees of 2,895 euros for a bachelor's degree, compared to 178 euros today, and 3,941 euros for a master's degree, compared to 254 euros.

Crous housing and rent control

The ninth proposal is to freeze Crous rents, ensure the continuation of rent control, and carry out a massive renovation and construction of Crous housing. In 2023, Crous rents were unfrozen and indexed to inflation. The signatories of the petition are waiting for the government to return to the 2023 rate and freeze the rents again. They also want the "renovation of unsanitary Crous residences" and the construction of "15,000 Crous housing units starting in 2027."

Ending repression and violence

The tenth proposal is to end repression and police violence against the student and high school movement. The last "urgent measure" is to allow students and high school students to demonstrate. The signatories demand that the government ensure that "absences related to mobilization are not taken into account or sanctioned" and that at the same time, it pays attention to the fact that "police forces who commit violence are prosecuted in court." If the student and university unions follow through on their statements, that is, if they continue to mobilize until the government meets all their demands, and if they are still supported by a large number of people per establishment, then the movement could extend until the presidential election, as their demands are considered impossible to implement in a few weeks.