France pledges new university admissions to quell student anger. But only after Macron leaves office

PARIS (AP) — France’s government pledged on Monday to replace its national online university admissions platform in 2028, seeking to quell student anger after weeks of mass protests over education and living costs.Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste announced “substantial change” to the platform for 2027, before its replacement the following year.The concessions target the school grievances that helped ignite the unrest. But the movement has widened to include workers demanding relief from rising living costs, making the government’s task broader than resolving a dispute over university admissions.The announcements followed France’s worst unrest in years on Oct. 17, when demonstrations over school funding and rising living costs descended into rioting and looting across the country. Groups of protesters set fires, stormed public buildings — including Marseille’s City Hall — looted shops and clashed with police. About 2,400 people were arrested over that weekend.Two high school