Cypriot secondary school pupils to stage solidarity actions for protesting French students

Nicosia, Cyprus. Secondary school students in Cyprus will carry out symbolic actions at their schools on Thursday to express solidarity with pupils in France, the students’ union Psem said on Monday.

Actions planned for the second break

The initiatives are scheduled for the second break on November 5. Psem urged classmates throughout the island to join in, describing the move as a “show of support for French students and their struggle”.

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Background to the French protests

According to the union, pupils in France have demonstrated every day since September 17 against reductions in the education budget worth a total of €41 million. They want more teachers to be recruited and want classes lost to staff absences to be made up.

Psem argued that teaching time lost in this way should not depend on whether families are able to pay for private extra tuition.

The French students are also seeking the renovation and modernisation of school buildings. Their demands include safe classrooms, laboratories with adequate equipment and accessible spaces.

Position of the union

Psem said it welcomes the continuing struggles of the French students and supports their just demands. It concluded: “We stand by them in the fight for public, free education.”