France protests disrupting education at over 560 schools: Ministry

French high school pupils protested or disrupted lessons at more than 560 schools on Friday, the education ministry said.

"Five hundred and sixty-four schools have experienced or are currently experiencing actions or disruptions since the beginning of the day," the ministry said shortly after midday. The education minister said earlier that 400 of the country's 3,700 high schools were expected to be closed.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray attends a press conference following a meeting on student demonstrations in Paris. AFP

 "There are ‌a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments that I know of that will be closed," French Education ‌Minister Edouard Geffray said in an interview ⁠with broadcaster France 2 late on Thursday.

According to close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, intelligence agencies told a crisis meeting on Thursday that the protest movement had been initiated by politicians ​from the hard left, including members of ‌La France Insoumise (LFI).

LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the claim in comments to French broadcasters.

French high school students hold placards during a demonstration in Paris on Thursday. Reuters

The protests ⁠against teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted in the Paris region last month but have turned ​increasingly ‌violent as they spread nationwide, with dozens ‌injured and police making hundreds of arrests.

Student protesters started fires in at least two high schools ‌on Thursday, ‌while teachers were ⁠inadvertently splashed with petrol at a third ‌in the southern city of Marseille, officials said.

At least one car ⁠was torched in Strasbourg in the ​east and riot police clashed with youths in Toulouse in the southwest.

Agencies