Last week, students mobilised over unequal school conditions, education funding and gender-based violence, while new migration rules narrowed international students’ rights in Denmark.
Last week in brief
- Protests over deteriorating conditions and unequal resources spread to more than 1,200 French secondary schools, with many arrested.
- Chilean students led nationwide demonstrations against proposed reductions in the country’s 2027 education budget.
- Women students organised protests across Indian universities following a series of sexual assaults involving girls and young women.
- Denmark reduced post-study job-search rights and ended accompanying-family permits for many new non-EU students.
- Industrial action expanded across UK universities as staff opposed redundancies, course closures and institutional budget cuts.
Key developments
France: school inequalities drive nationwide student protests
Protests that began in disadvantaged Paris suburbs spread to more than 1,200 secondary schools during the week. Students demanded substitute teachers, smaller classes, functioning buildings and access to nurses and social workers. Some reported taking important examinations without having received teaching in the relevant subject.
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets during some demonstrations, and more than 5,000 people were arrested. The government’s proposed 2027 education budget would rise by 1.7%—below inflation—while 3,256 teaching positions were cut during 2026. Students in Seine-Saint-Denis, where shortages are particularly severe, argued that their postcode should not determine the quality of their education. Read the Reuters report.
Our take: The French authorities must distinguish peaceful student mobilisation from individual acts of violence and investigate allegations of excessive force against minors. The protests expose a deeper equality issue: access to qualified teachers, safe buildings and student-support services must not depend on where a young person lives. Students should be directly represented in the government’s response and in decisions about education funding.
Chile: students challenge proposed education cuts
Thousands of students marched in Santiago and other Chilean cities on 1 October following a national mobilisation called by the Confederation of Chilean Students, Confech. Teachers and civil-society organisations also participated.
President José Antonio Kast’s proposed 2027 budget allocates CLP17.3 trillion to education, compared with approximately CLP17.48 trillion in the 2026 budget. Because this is a budget bill, the allocation remains subject to congressional consideration. Student representatives warned that reductions could affect public education, scholarships and support programmes. At least 31 people were reportedly detained following clashes around the Santiago march. Read the report on the mobilisation and the government’s budget overview.
Our take: The budget is still a proposal, giving Chile’s Congress an opportunity to prevent cuts that would undermine access and student welfare. Confech’s leadership demonstrates why organised student representation matters: students are identifying the practical consequences hidden behind aggregate budget figures. Their representatives must have a formal voice during the parliamentary process.
India: university protests demand action against sexual violence
Female students organised demonstrations across several Indian university campuses following a series of sexual assaults involving girls and young women. Protesters called for accountability and challenged institutional responses that place restrictions, surveillance or curfews on women rather than addressing perpetrators and unsafe environments.
Students also drew attention to harassment within higher education and to the ways fear of violence can influence women’s decisions about where and what they study. Read the report on the campus protests.
Our take: Safety policies must protect women’s freedom rather than restrict it. Universities need survivor-centred reporting systems, independent investigations, transparent accountability and properly funded support services. Female students and representative organisations should help design, monitor and evaluate these measures.
Denmark: international-student rights narrowed
New rules effective from 1 October affect many students from outside the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland who apply for residence permits for state-approved higher-education programmes.
For new applicants, the normal post-graduation job-search period has been reduced from three years to one. Spouses, partners and children generally can no longer obtain accompanying-family permits under the student rules. PhD students and some Turkish nationals are exempt, while transitional provisions apply to earlier applications. Read the official guidance.
Our take: International students make major academic, financial and personal commitments when choosing a country. Shortening graduate pathways and separating students from their families can deter talented applicants and disproportionately affect older students, parents and those from lower-income backgrounds. Governments and universities should include international students in evaluating the policy’s effects.
This week: 5–11 October
- 5 October — World Teachers’ Day: UNESCO’s global celebration focuses attention on the teachers required to deliver inclusive, quality education. Governments should connect recognition with decent pay, secure employment, professional autonomy and manageable workloads. See UNESCO’s events programme.
- 5 October — Higher Education Learning Innovation Lab launches: UNESCO IESALC is opening HEILAB, a collaborative space addressing teaching innovation, artificial intelligence, inclusion and professional learning in higher education. Student participation will be essential if it is to reflect how learning is actually experienced. Read about HEILAB.
- 6 October — French students plan a national demonstration: The secondary-school students’ union has called further action over underfunding, overcrowding and deteriorating facilities. Authorities’ protection of peaceful protesters—particularly minors—will be closely watched. Follow the latest developments.
- 9 October — UNESCO gender report and education prize: UNESCO will launch its 2026 Global Education Monitoring Gender Report and recognise two initiatives advancing girls’ and women’s education. The report will provide new evidence on participation, completion and continuing inequalities. See the UNESCO event.
- 10 October — World Mental Health Day: Under the theme “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change”, WHO is calling for people who use mental-health services to become equal partners in their design. Schools and universities should apply the same principle by involving students in shaping campus support. Read WHO’s campaign overview.
What we are watching
- France’s response to student demands and allegations of excessive police force.
- Congressional scrutiny of Chile’s proposed education budget.
- Institutional responses to gender-based violence on Indian campuses.
- The effect of Denmark’s new rules on international enrolment and student families.
Are important developments affecting students taking place in your country? Readers, students and student organisations are invited to send them to the Global Student Forum for possible inclusion in a future edition of World Student News.
