Le Figaro Nice
As if nothing had happened, or almost nothing, the 99 students of the private Muslim college “Avicenne” in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) will return to their classrooms, in two weeks, after the school holidays, which have just started on the Coast Azure.
In the meantime, they will have learned with their families of the very probable closure of their establishment at the start of the next school year.
The opacity of the financing of this Koranic college, the only one in the department, was highlighted by the Minister of National Education Nicole Belloubet, Monday morning, on France 2. Troubled elements confirmed by the Nice rectorate and the Alpes prefecture -Maritimes, which do not respect the law against separatism of August 2021. Despite four letters in two years,
“flagrant illegalities”
and
“a refusal of financial transparency from management”
were highlighted by the Maralpin prefect Hugues Moutouh in a note consulted by
Le Figaro
.
This Nice establishment opened its doors in 2015, in the famously sensitive Ariane district, in the east of the Riviera capital, at the initiative of Otmane Aissaoui, also president of the Union of Muslims of the Alpes-Maritimes .
He advocated
“fairness”
.
In 2010, a similar project in the neighboring town of La Trinité failed.
“We dreamed of this college in the 2000s…”
, even writes the imam on the establishment’s website.
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Out of contract
Initially, only one 6th grade class was created in small premises on rue du Général Saramito.
Until 2018, one higher level class opens per year.
It was this same year, and with classes up to 3rd year, that the college management considered an association contract with National Education.
Always in vain, and already for these same reasons of lack of budgetary clarity, observes a follower of this file.
Unlike the Averroès high school in the North, this Nice college has never received public money.
This non-contract college had also moved to larger facilities, still in the Ariane district, Chemin du Château Saint-Pierre.
Twenty teachers including the current director, Idir Arab, and four education assistants now make up the teaching team.
The cost of one year of schooling amounts to 1590 euros, which seems insufficient to ensure self-financing.
“No funding from abroad”
“The management of the establishment is outraged by the process [...] and is in denial
,” she explained in a press release published in the evening.
The college is monitored by a chartered accountant and keeps its accounts up to date with the tax administration
.
A request for an interview was made within fifteen days, the deadline for the adversarial procedure in order to present
“the bank statements, the list of donors”
.
What the authorities have been waiting for for more than two years.
On the set of BFM Nice Côte d'Azur, director Idir Arab mentioned a sum of 11,700 euros to be justified, promising that these were only donations from individuals.
“There is no funding coming from abroad, it only comes from the Alpes-Maritimes
,” assured Me Sefen Guez-Guez, who has
always defended the
“transparency approach” on the part of the college.
This is indeed what he seeks to do on his website and his Facebook page.
The establishment boasts
“excellence”
and
“very good patent results”
.
A promotional video was even filmed with students and teachers who can wear the veil.
Life within classes is largely shared, particularly with regard to secularism.
Images of a moment of contemplation in memory of professors Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard were, for example, posted.
A press release was also written to
“condemn with the greatest firmness”
the attack in the Arras high school.
Publications from “Muslims of France” are also re-shared.
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Neither recruitment nor radicalization
In this college, it is the financing that is questionable and not the teaching.
“At this stage, there has never been an alert on recruitment or radicalization phenomena
,” indicated the rector of the Nice academy Natacha Chicot, adding that the establishment had already been subject to several inspections. .
Management is currently asking for financial aid of 750,000 euros to
“repay our investment”
.
For his part, the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi (Horizons) was against its opening almost ten years ago and again recalled having
“opposed its expansion a few months ago”
.
The elected representative of the opposition Reconquête!, Philippe Vardon, once again denounced
“the direct links of this college with the ex-UOIF, and therefore the Islamist movement of the Muslim Brotherhood”
.
A prefectural closure order will be notified on March 13 with an execution date set for September 2024, time to let families re-enroll their children in other colleges in the city.