Nearly 80 people have been injured in high school student protests and riots in France, the country's national education minister, Edouard Geffray, said on Wednesday.

"I am not concerned about the students' demands, but about the violence. Since the protests began, 76 people have been injured, 18 of whom are school staff," Geffray told RTL radio.

Numerous students in France have been taking to the streets for a week now to protest against a demanding class schedule, teacher shortages, and other problems in the country’s education sector. In some places, the protests have been accompanied by riots and arson. According to Student Union, about a dozen universities and more than 400 high schools across France were blocked on Tuesday.