New French Education Minister Pap Ndiaye promises ‘monthly evaluation’ of breaches of secularism in schools

The absence of recent figures was elevating inquiries. On Sunday, June 26, the Education and learning Ministry communicated the amount of breaches of secularism documented to it involving December 2021 and March 2022, re-launching the quarterly assessment exercising to which previous Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer experienced dedicated himself.

This census, fed by the alerts presented by faculty principals, demonstrates 627 described problematic situations, 50 percent of them coming from center schools, the other 50 percent from high faculties and elementary colleges (28% and 22% respectively). This is 9 fewer cases than in the earlier report released in early December 2021. The ministry emphasizes a “stabilization” of the phenomenon.

Taken in element, the new census confirms, even so, the improve of a selected group of infringements which, these last weeks, have targeted the political and media attention: the donning of signs or apparel not in conformity with the regulation of 2004 prohibiting ostentatious spiritual symbols in general public schools. With 139 situations, this group “gets the vast majority”, wrote the ministry in a press launch issued on Sunday, June 26. It signifies 22% of the reviews (+7 factors). Forward of the refusal of university activities (8%) or worries above teachings (10%), two types which are both of those down by two details.

The tally is significantly from the “epidemic” of “Islamic costume” described by the newspaper L’Opinion, on June 2. The expression experienced prompted the French president to respond, that exact same working day, when questioned all through a vacation to Marseille. “As with any make a difference, when there are epidemics, there will have to be indications, and we measure,” stated Emmanuel Macron. “There must be no taboos, no prohibitions and no delusions. So I want reality and clarity on all the knowledge.”

‘The uncooked quantities do not inform the total story’

Considering the fact that then, a note from the central assistance of territorial intelligence, disclosed by the radio RTL on June 14, experienced quantified at 144 the reviews in the university surroundings recorded on the aspect of the Inside Ministry, evoking a “distinct upsurge” of the phenomenon. To reveal this raise, which also worries the category of suspected proselytizing (+6 points), the Education Ministry invoked arguments all relevant to the context or calendar: “An expression of identity in the context of elections, recurrences soon after the month of Ramadan, incitments to contest the establishment and social media troubles.”

The ministry puts these figures in the extended operate – that of the to start with Macron phrase: among the first quarter of 2018 and the 1st quarter of 2022, experiences went from 235 to 627, with a peak of 1,332 amongst September and November 2020. In other text, during the quarter marked by the October 16, 2020, attack on history-geography teacher Samuel Paty. Considering that then, the variety of described cases is somewhat on a “high plateau.”

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