France, Jan. 28 -- French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said 4,000 public teaching jobs would not be cut in the 2025 budget, reversing a plan by his predecessor Michel Barnier.

"It's a way of saying 'this is our priority'", Bayrou told LCI television on Monday, speaking about France's National Education system, adding that the decision to keep the 4,000 job postings was "definitive".

His remarks come just days ahead of Thursday's meeting of a joint committee, comprising lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses of parliament, tasked with reaching a compromise on the disputed budget.

"The country has no budget, no majority. If we let it go, the country will sink into division," Bayrou told the press on Monday. "My effort is to bri...