PARIS: Students in France were largely back in the classroom on Friday following days of protests demanding better education, with the UN voicing "concern" over the sometimes violent clashes.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across France since students in late September began blocking entrances to high schools, which in turn saw squads of riot police deployed.
The students -- most aged 15 to 18 -- have complained of absent teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures. More than 6,800 people have been detained since the start of the demonstrations, of whom 86 percent are minors, the justice ministry said Friday.
The United Nations said Friday it was watching the events "with concern" and urging people on all sides to remain peaceful.
"We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent," said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency.
While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some protesters have started fires and vandalised bus shelters.
In response, police have used tear gas, batons and blast balls, leading to accusations from rights groups and the children of a disproportionate use of force.
Police have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct. A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, and the government has suspended the use of the weapon.
Substitute teachers
On Thursday evening in the capital Paris, police said they used tear gas in Bastille square to disperse some "high-risk profiles".
In a bid to placate the anger, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced late Thursday that some 3,000 substitute teachers would be deployed in the coming days to replace absent staff at the 114 worst-affected high schools.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, while Economy Minister Roland Lescure said there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget.
In the current draft budget, education has the second largest increase in funding -- after defence -- with a boost of 1.4 percent to 90.9 billion euros.
Of the 3,700 high schools across France, called lycees, only 141 were closed on Friday, the education ministry reported.
Last Friday, some 800 schools had closed due to the protests.
But many students told AFP they were not relenting, with organisers calling for large-scale demonstrations next week.
"We're saving our energy for next week," said one 16-year-old student in Toulouse.
Alice, a high school student in Marseille, said the education minister's announcements "are a first step but they're not enough."
Student union representative Marius Mesnil said "we're being offered a few crumbs", while calling for another wave of demonstrations Tuesday.
