Geffray urges dialogue Classes to resume gradually

Oct 5

In this AFP public-statement excerpt, Édouard Geffray says dialogue is the only way forward under the rule of law and in a democracy. He recalls meeting representatives of the education community the previous Friday and says dialogue will continue and deepen over the coming days and weeks, very likely resulting in a substantial overhaul of lycée student democracy. He particularly links intensified dialogue to the arrangements for resuming classes. He calls the next day's demonstration an organized democratic act and a freedom that must be respected and protected. He then tells headteachers to resume classes progressively from Wednesday, correcting his initial wording about reopening schools: classes are suspended, not the establishments closed. The excerpt records plans and qualifications, without showing subsequent implementation.

In the AFP excerpt of his October 5, 2026 address to headteachers from Lycée de Villaroy in Guyancourt, Education Minister Édouard Geffray says dialogue is the only way forward in a democracy. Recalling consultations the previous Friday, he says dialogue will continue and intensify over the coming days and weeks and will very likely lead to a substantial overhaul of student democracy in high schools. He links that dialogue to arrangements for resuming classes. He describes the next day's demonstration as an organized democratic act and a freedom to respect and protect, then tells headteachers to resume classes progressively from Wednesday, October 7. He corrects his initial wording about reopening establishments: classes have been suspended, rather than the schools closed. These are his public statements and prospective steps; the excerpt does not establish an implemented reform, a completed October 6 demonstration or an actual October 7 return.