France’s education ministry said 413 secondary schools were affected on Monday. The Court of Auditors estimates pupils lose about 10% of teaching hours because of teacher absences.
Disruption affected 413 French lycées on Monday, 5 October, according to the Ministry of National Education. That was slightly fewer than the previous Friday, ahead of a youth-group demonstration planned for Tuesday. On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sent ministers a five-point roadmap based on issues raised by student-life councils. The first item addressed cover for absent teachers.
The Court of Auditors, which examined the issue in 2021 and 2025, estimates pupils lose about 10% of teaching time because posts remain vacant or teachers are away. Absences include illness, school trips, training, exams and meetings. For absences of fewer than 15 days, schools are encouraged to arrange cover internally. The Pacte scheme offers extra pay for additional hours, but its allocated budget has fallen sharply.
Regional education authorities are responsible for cover when absences exceed two weeks. The substitute pool is shrinking, and some replacements are assigned to unfilled posts from the start of the school year. Pupils can consequently miss weeks or months of lessons, including in subjects they will take for the baccalaureate.
Recruitment is particularly difficult in French, mathematics, physics and chemistry, and German. The source report points to the profession’s declining appeal and the difficulty of finding a teacher for only two or three hours at a school in a rural area or on the outskirts of a large city.