French PM Sebastien Lecornu to hold talks with student leaders after protests

Yesterday’s announcement came after another weekend of protests over the state of the country’s high schools and the cost of living, with pressure mounting on the government to deliver promised reforms to the education system. — AFP pic

First Published: Monday, 26 Oct 2026 11:06 AM MYT

PARIS, Oct 26 — France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office announced that he and the country’s two education ministers would meet student leaders today before speaking to journalists.

Yesterday’s announcement came after another weekend of protests over the state of the country’s high schools and the cost of living, with pressure mounting on the government to deliver promised reforms to the education system.

National Education Minister Edouard Geffray and Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste will join Lecornu for talks with student leaders Monday at Matignon, the prime minister’s office in Paris.

Following that meeting, Geffray and Baptiste will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon.

Students at France’s high schools have been campaigning for better conditions in their schools and a reform of the education for more than a month.

But the police response to their demonstrations, which included blockades of school, has been fiercely criticised as heavyhanded by parents, students, rights groups and opposition politicians.

Several teenage protesters have been seriously injured and thousands arrested. — AFP