High school blockades: “It’s no longer possible to work like this,” high school students make their anger heard

Outside the gates of Masséna high school in Nice, this Thursday morning, the mobilization took concrete form. Around a hundred students organized a blockade to denounce the deterioration of their study conditions, overcrowded classes, incoherent schedules, dilapidated facilities and competition from Parcoursup.

The atmosphere is lively outside the school this morning. After a first timid attempt on Tuesday, this gathering marks the first official day of a national movement that has been dragging on since the beginning of the week. At the heart of general demands is the feeling that the National Education system is critically lacking resources and no longer meets the needs of the field, whether for teachers or students.

To weigh against institutions, high school students from Masséna in Nice decided to unite their demands with other high schools in the metropolis launching a major tour. The blockade joins the initiatives undertaken by students from other high schools in Nice such as Imperial Park high school or Albert Calmette. « It’s by forming a united front with all the high schools in the city that we’ll be heard », whispers a high school student in the middle of the crowd.

Overcrowded classes, the nightmare of schedules

In the ranks of the demonstration, discontent is clearly expressed around class sizes and lack of supervision. « There are about forty of us in math specialization. It’s not possible to work under these conditions. The teacher simply doesn’t have time to answer all the questions », explains a final year student.

To this lack of follow-up are added material conditions deemed trying. During periods of high heat, the absence of air conditioning or fans in the facilities transforms classrooms into veritable ovens. « We don’t have air conditioning in the classes, which means some of us almost fainted. We had to have classes outside because the heat was unbearable in the classrooms. »

Another major point, the management of school time. Extended schedules, stretched from 8am to 6pm but interrupted by long breaks that weigh heavily on daily fatigue. « We have schedules where we start at 8 o’clock with 5 hours of gaps to finish at 6pm. Some of them live an hour away and they arrive super early in the morning to have an hour of classes and then have no more classes until 11 o’clock. Frankly it’s hell. »

Parcoursup, a cutthroat battle

Beyond material problems, the protest touches on the philosophy of the education system. The Parcoursup platform is particularly targeted by final year students. « For Parcoursup, we think it’s a random system that puts us in competition with each other, while we’re taught the opposite in our classes. » 

This anger is also part of a broader context, as political deadlines approach. « I think young people are fed up with the hypocrisy of certain parties. We are the future of France, so I think it’s normal that we invest in us. In Europe, we have the most crowded schedules, the heaviest homework and we’re the ones with the worst school results. I think that proves a lot of things. It’s no longer possible to work like this », insist the students of Masséna high school. 

The previous days ended in a climate of extreme tension, prompting diametrically opposed reactions. On one side, Éric Ciotti, mayor of Nice, firmly condemns the excesses that occurred at Imperial Park (mortar fire, vegetation fire and assault on a passerby, editor’s note), asserting that « these are not demands, these are acts of violence » and that high schools must not become grounds for confrontation. On the other, the citizen gathering ViVA! denounces a police crackdown that is « disproportionate » against young people angry about their study conditions, arguing that « force cannot be an appropriate response » and that such institutional violence will only fuel a sense of injustice and lasting mistrust.