The Minister of National Education, Pap Ndiaye, estimated on Sunday, two years to the day after the assassination of Samuel Paty, that there was today "a level of sensitivity and alert" to attacks on the secularism which "did not exist" then, but there is still "work to be done".
"There is a level of sensitivity and alertness on these issues that did not exist two years ago," the minister told the Grand Jury of RTL / Le Figaro / LCI, two years after the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty by a radicalized man, for showing caricatures of Muhammad in class.
But "taking over the forces hostile to the Republic" is "a long-term job", he added.
To read alsoTwo years later, what remains of the memory of Samuel Paty at the Bois-d'Aulne college?
Regularly accused by part of the right and by the extreme right of underestimating the attacks on secularism, Pap Ndiaye replied that he did not have "a hand that is shaking".
"I made arrangements as soon as I took office [in May], in particular with the strengthening of the Values of the Republic teams where necessary".
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Pap Ndiaye, new Minister of Education, pays tribute to his "colleague" Samuel Paty
There are now "hundreds of people who assist school leaders and educational teams when questions arise, or reports", he said.
He also recalled that 300,000 teachers should be trained by the end of the five-year term to be better equipped to deal with questions or provocations on secularism.
"We still have work to do, for example on the social network side," added Pap Ndiaye, who wants "a more offensive Republican discourse" on the networks, with the help of influencers in particular.
The question of conspicuous religious symbols at school
Asked about the increase in reports for wearing religious clothing and accessories at school, reported by the now monthly surveys, the minister said that the 2004 law must "be applied strictly and firmly".
This law prohibits conspicuous religious clothing or signs within school premises.
Read alsoReligious signs at school: the note that alerts
But "we are not going to publish endless catalogs to specify the lengths of dresses, sleeves, colors...", details which would also be "immediately foiled by those who want to harm the Republic", declared Pap Ndiaye.
The teams in the establishments have the support of the Values of the Republic 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 resolved”.
As for the introduction of the uniform, which has never existed in France in public schools, studies "quite invariably conclude that it is ineffective" because "it can be thwarted by accessories or behavior", according to the Minister .
