France launches five initiatives to address high school challenges

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has ordered the launch of five initiatives to address difficulties in high schools, as student protests continue across the country. The measures target teacher replacements, building conditions, student life, orientation, and student voice. The initiatives follow reports of untaught classes, degraded facilities, long school days, and anxiety over post-graduation orientation. Lecornu demands classes resume Monday where safe, prioritizes exam-year students, and requests a progress report by October 16. He also addresses concerns about the 2027 presidential election, urging respect for secularism while allowing students to engage in public debate. The government will accelerate a "vandal-pays" law to make perpetrators cover damage costs, and the 2027 budget proposes raising education funding to 64 billion euros, up from 48.8 billion in 2017.