France’s government plans to replace Parcoursup for the 2028 admissions campaign and introduce class-size limits for general and technological seconde classes, responding to concerns raised by high-school students amid wider mobilization.
The Education Ministry announced the package Oct. 26. From the 2027 school year, classes would be capped at 28 students at high schools the ministry classifies among the least advantaged half. The limit would extend to all high schools in the 2028 school year. The ministry also proposed 500 teacher positions in its 2027 budget.
The plan calls for 15,000 additional higher-education places between 2027 and 2028, €4 billion in loans for high-school renovations and €1 billion for campus investment. French President Emmanuel Macron said the wider mobilization had roots in high-school activism and the cost of living.
Turnout estimates for Oct. 24 differed. France’s Interior Ministry put attendance at 410,000 across 289 public actions, with 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union’s nationwide estimate was nearly 800,000. The ministry had recorded 550,000 people at 441 actions the previous week. In an Oct. 31 update, it cited 1,435 arrests linked to Oct. 24, compared with 1,314 in its provisional tally the next day. It also reported deploying 70,000 police and gendarmes for authorized demonstrations on Oct. 31.
Fiscal data show the broader public-finance context. France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) reported Maastricht general-government debt of €3,595.5 billion, or 119% of gross domestic product, at the end of the second quarter of 2026. The Treasury’s 2026 deficit estimate is 5.4% of GDP, up from an initial 5% target. The European Commission’s reference threshold is 3%.
Separately, Serbia’s Republic Electoral Commission reported preliminary results giving the Student List 52.71% of votes counted from 97.56% of polling stations. A Serbian government report assigned the list 140 seats. Repeat voting at 53 stations was scheduled for Nov. 1.
A committee that includes students and teachers is due to make initial recommendations on replacing Parcoursup by the end of November. The CGT has called for a nationwide strike and demonstrations on Nov. 5.
