France promises 3,000 extra teachers in first step to calm student protests

But the offer contained no major promise of new investment on a scale likely to appease protesters. The government is wary of appearing to buy social peace because it knows France's precarious debt situation is being followed closely by international money markets.Reaction from student leaders has been guarded to say the least.Nathanaël Combary, who represents the most moderate of the three main lycée unions Renouveau Lycéen (Lycée Renewal), said students were waiting to see how the promise was carried out in practice: "We've had some announcements which correspond to part of our demands. But obviously people want to see the money and more concrete results.""As long as we do not have €10bn on the table, we will continue our action," said Sabrine Kharbach of the Union Etudiante (Student Union), which is close to the radical-left France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party of presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon.Mélenchon praised Thursday's demonstrations, saying on X that the students had "retaken the Bastille".But at the other end of the political spectrum, a spokesman for the hard-right National Rally (RN) condemned the government's concessions. "The message is: if you break thin...