PARIS, France: Student protests across France have left dozens of people injured as young people continued demonstrations over poor school conditions, a lack of resources, and exam pressure, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on September 30.

Television footage showed lines of police officers in Lyon and groups of students gathered outside schools in Lille and Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Some protesters set rubbish bins and other materials on fire in Lille and Lyon, while people in Lille also threw objects.

"Since the beginning of these demonstrations, we have had 76 injuries, both among students and personnel," Geffray told RTL radio.

The protests and school blockades began last week and, on September 29, coincided with a wider public-sector strike. They have become a political issue at a sensitive time for France, with the government due to present its 2027 budget on October 1.

The budget is expected to include spending cuts to ease pressure on government finances. The protests have therefore added to wider concerns about public services and government spending.

Members of the hard-left France Unbowed party have joined some of the demonstrations. Politicians and officials outside the party have criticized its involvement, accusing it of using language that could increase student anger. Bally Bagayoko, a France Unbowed mayor at the center of the dispute, has said his comments were taken out of context.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told broadcaster BFM that about 440 people had been detained during Tuesday's protests, most of them minors.

Nunez also said there had been seven incidents in which people threw hydrochloric acid at police officers and other law enforcement personnel.

The protests are being driven by complaints about conditions in schools. Students say classrooms are overcrowded and there are not enough teachers to meet demand.

The government has described the protests as irresponsible but has also acknowledged that problems in high schools need to be recognized and addressed.

Figures from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show that France's spending on primary and secondary education was around the middle of the range among OECD member countries. Spending increased between 2015 and 2022, although education's share of overall government spending fell slightly during that period.

The demonstrations come as France faces wider pressure over its public finances and the cost of maintaining public services. The government's budget plans are expected to seek savings while dealing with demands for greater investment in areas such as education.

The ongoing protests have brought school conditions and student concerns into the wider national debate, while the government faces pressure to respond to complaints about resources and overcrowding without worsening its financial position.