High school students from Seine-Saint-Denis, among the first to mobilize, were present in large numbers in the Parisian procession on Tuesday, October 6th. Like their counterparts across France, they are demanding the replacement of absent teachers, decent facilities, a reform of the Parcoursup platform, and the creation of additional university places.
At the heart of the demonstration, Lucie, 17, a student at Le Corbusier high school in Aubervilliers, expressed her frustration: 'Today, we are marching once again to denounce the lack of resources for the 93: unsanitary premises, deteriorated equipment, shortage of teachers... And we will continue until the government hears us!' She laments a feeling of being disregarded, pointing out the focus on 'rioters' rather than the reasons for the youth's anger.
Sarah, a final-year student at the same high school, testifies to the concrete consequences of the teacher shortage: 'Last year, we had 7 works on the French baccalaureate program, but we only managed to cover 2 because we didn't have a French teacher for 5 months. Frankly, we don't come to high school to teach ourselves. We just want the same treatment as everyone else,' she states, participating in her first protest.
Several high schools from Seine-Saint-Denis, including those in Aubervilliers, Pantin, Saint-Denis, and Noisy-le-Sec, coordinated their efforts at the Mairie d’Aubervilliers before heading to Paris. They marched behind a banner referencing recent police violence.
The movement is supported by student collectives, such as that of Paris-8 Saint-Denis, which has been blocked for a week. Milan, a student at Paris-8, explains this natural support and the common demands, particularly concerning Parcoursup. 'For example, this year at Paris-8, 1700 students are still without any placement, which creates tension and misunderstanding,' he indicates.
Local elected officials have also shown their support. Stéphane Troussel, president of the Departmental Council of Seine-Saint-Denis, was present alongside Magalie Thibault, mayor of Rosny-sous-Bois, and Sofiane Karroumi, mayor of Aubervilliers. In an op-ed, Mr. Troussel emphasized that 'it is not the count of arrests that should be on the front page of the news, but the list of demands from high school students and their teachers.' In Seine-Saint-Denis, it is estimated that a student loses approximately one year of schooling due to unreplaced teacher absences.
