In regards to plans by French President Nicholas Sarkozy to cut at least 11,200 jobs from France’s national education system for the 2008-2009 school year, high school students had taken to the streets of the French capital of Paris as they joined thousands of protesters in a large-scale demonstration.
In the case of the students, this is the sixth demonstration they held in two weeks. They fear that Sarkozy’s plan will hurt France’s education system. This is only part of a much larger educational reform plan under Sarkozy. Fears arise as students claim that the job cut will cause classes to be overcrowded and a limit of subjects that are available for teaching.
On Tuesday’s demonstration, they had signs saying “Full classes: Certain failure” and “No to elitism in schools.” This could possibly hurt Sarkozy’s chances of going for reelection in the next election year. His party had already received a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections.
At this moment, the future of France’s education is unclear. But, high school students across France are making their voices heard loud and clear.