Sébastien Lecornu, France's education minister, has announced a period of "internal democracy" in lycées, with plenary meetings scheduled for 7, 8 or 9 October, according to Le HuffPost. The plan, described by the education ministry as a time for dialogue where pupils can express their difficulties and expectations, was met with criticism almost as soon as it was announced.
Le HuffPost reports that the initiative has been labelled "hors-sol" — disconnected from reality — by its critics. The SNES teaching union published a statement urging members not to be "complicit" with the government over the plenary meetings, framing the sessions as a government manoeuvre rather than genuine consultation. The FCPE parents' association told franceinfo that the internal democracy time announced by Lecornu may be arriving "too late," given the wider mobilisation of lycéens and students.
The ministry's own framing presents the half-day sessions as an opportunity for pupils to voice concerns and expectations. LCP-Assemblée nationale reported that a half-day for debate is what is planned in lycées by Friday.
The announcement lands amid an ongoing wave of student mobilisation, which shapes how unions and parent groups have received it. The SNES statement and the FCPE's reaction suggest the sessions are being read less as a listening exercise than as a response to pressure from below.
Whether the plenary meetings go ahead as scheduled on 7, 8 or 9 October — and how many lycées take part — is the next point to watch.
