"Act 5" is set to begin on Tuesday, despite the government's attempts to ease tensions in various ways.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray has, among other things, promised to urgently deploy 3,000 substitute teachers at the high schools most in need. The effort has already begun, according to Le Monde.
The USL student union has said this is not enough and called for more protests. A march is set to leave Place d'Italie in Paris later in the day, heading for Les Invalides, not far from Matignon and the Ministry of Education. Calls for separate protests are also spreading on social media.
Greta Thunberg takes part
Greta Thunberg has joined the protests and was seen among demonstrators outside the Paul-Éluard high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.
"Young people are not included in the conversation. We are being robbed of our future," she told AFP.
Demonstrations are also planned in Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse and Bordeaux. Several schools around the country have also been blocked.
As before, parents and teachers have joined the young people. Tristan Mattelart, a communication sciences teacher at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas, is wearing a white armband, as are about 20 colleagues.
"I am here to be at my students' disposal, to prevent the situation from getting out of hand and to protect them if necessary," he told Le Figaro.
He also said he was “pleasantly surprised” by how well organized the protests were and by how calm the students were.
“Calm down”
The Education Ministry said around 200 schools were expected to close on Tuesday, up from 130 on Monday, compared with 172 schools closed at the end of last week. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the protests had subsided.
"We are seeing a decrease compared to previous weeks," he said.
At the same time, the ministry said violence was increasing and that "at least eight education system employees" were injured on Monday.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken sparingly during the protests, called for the demonstrations to take place "calmly, in an orderly manner and with respect for both people and property."
The protesters are demanding more resources for upper secondary schools, a fundamental overhaul of the education system and the abolition of the admissions system, which they say contributes to inequality.
