Published on : 10/16/2022 – 15:14
Paris (AFP) – National Education Minister Pap Ndiaye estimated Sunday, two years after the murder of Samuel Paty, that today there was “a level of sensitivity and alertness” to attacks on secularism that “did not exist” then, but there is still “work to be done”.
“There is a level of sensitivity and vigilance on these issues that did not exist two years ago,” the minister told the RTL / Le Figaro / LCI Grand Jury, two years after the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty by a man. radicalized, for which he shows the caricatures of Muhammad in the classroom.
But “taking control of forces hostile to the Republic” is “a long-term job,” he added.
Regularly accused by the right and far right of underestimating the attacks on secularism, Pap Ndiaye replied that he “does not have a shaking hand”. “I made arrangements as soon as I took office [en mai dernier]in particular with the strengthening of the Valori della Repubblica teams where necessary “.
There are now “hundreds of people assisting school leaders and education teams when questions or concerns arise,” he said.
He also recalled that 300,000 teachers should be trained by the end of the five-year period to be better equipped to deal with secular issues or provocations.
“We still have work to do, for example on the social networking side,” added Ndiaye, who wants “a more offensive Republican speech” on the networks, with the help of influencers in particular.
Asked about the increase in complaints about the use of religious clothes and accessories at school, reported by the now monthly polls, the minister said that the 2004 law must “be applied rigorously and firmly”. This law prohibits religious clothing or obvious markings within the school premises.
But “we will not publish infinite catalogs to specify the lengths of dresses, sleeves, colors …”, details that would also be “immediately thwarted by those who want to harm the Republic”, declared M.Ndiaye.
The teams in the factories have the support of the Valori della Repubblica groups, which, in each academy, are there “to appreciate, support, help and answer questions”. In addition, exchanges with students and families “allow a certain number of cases to be solved”.
As for the institution of the uniform, which in France has never existed in public schools, the studies “invariably conclude that it is ineffective” because “it can be hindered by accessories or behavior”, according to the minister.
© 2022 AFP
