French pupils barricade schools with wheelie bins again, defying Macron, as unions plan a nationwide strike on Thursday

France's education minister warned that weeks of disruption are putting pupils' final exams and entire school years at risk, as students ignored Macron's personal plea to end the blockades that have run since September. By 8:30am on Monday, 41 high schools — roughly 1% of all schools nationwide — were barricaded, down sharply from hundreds in previous weeks; police dragged bins away and made arrests at some sites.

University students' unions announced plans to extend barricades to faculties on Tuesday, widening the crisis beyond secondary schools.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray offered a maximum class size of 28 and €4 billion for school renovations, but student representatives rejected the package as insufficient.

Thursday's planned nationwide strike will bring together workers from the rail sector, the teaching profession and private industry in solidarity with the pupils' demands over school conditions and the rising cost of living.