Two years to the day after the assassination by an Islamist terrorist of Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old history and geography professor,
"the trauma remains strong"
, declared the Minister of National Education Pap Ndiaye, guest this Sunday from "Grand Jury RTL-Le Figaro-LCI".
“The atrocious assassination
(of Samuel Paty, editor’s note)
obliges us.
First to the commemoration, it is very important.
And then also to reaffirm the importance of secularism, of free expression, of the school as a place which must be rid of external influences, in particular of a political or religious nature.
Has the situation improved over the past two years?
“There are two pitfalls to avoid: saying that nothing has changed and saying that everything is fine.
It is a long-term task that we are carrying out against the forces hostile to the Republic”,
underlined the Minister.
He mentioned having strengthened the functional protection of staff and continued training teachers on secularism.
“We still have work to do, especially on social networks”,
a field that
“we cannot leave to those who want trouble at school”
, he added.
"Transparency"
Questioned at length on this issue of secularism at school and on the attention he pays to this subject, Pap Ndiaye never ceased to insist on his
"firmness",
a term he had already used the day before in the Sorbonne
(see above).
“I don't have a shaking hand on questions of secularism
,” he assured.
He also reiterated his promise of
"transparency"
, in particular by publishing the figures for attacks on secularism in schools every month.
The latest assessment revealed 313 reports in September.
The tenant of Rue de Grenelle, however, felt that there was no need to modify the 2004 law on religious symbols at school,
"very clear"
.
He refused to establish
“a catalog of clothing provisions which, moreover, would be foiled the next day”
, while the heads of establishment are very demanding for specific directives, in particular on the question of abayas and qamis.
"You have to look at situations on a case-by-case basis
," he said, recalling the importance of
"dialogue"
with students and families, as well as the
"support"
that the Values of the Republic teams can provide to personal.
Beyond the subject of secularism, the minister answered a wide variety of questions, from college reform to teacher compensation, including sex education at school, the recruitment of contract workers or even the school climate.
To remember: the ministry is conducting a
“reflection”
around the third quarter of the final year, described as
“a little wobbly”
by Pap Ndiaye, with in particular specialty tests organized from March.
