Disputes over the content of certain lessons are progressing at school, the Minister of National Education warned this Friday, March 15.
The latter, Nicole Belloubet vaguely explained at the microphone of France Info, are
“linked to questions about the origins of the world or about religion”
.
“It’s worrying and it’s not acceptable
,” she concluded.
In December, 19% of the 590 violations of the principle of secularism reported to the ministry fell into this category, according to a report published this Friday by rue de Grenelle.
For comparison, these facts represented 16% of reports in November, compared to 9% in October, and 4% in September.
In December, an incident at Jacques-Cartier college, in Issou (Yvelines), perfectly illustrated this category of reporting.
A teacher was accused of Islamophobia after showing a 17th century painting in class in which Diana and her nymphs are depicted naked.
“We will support the teachers”
Although they fell in January, reports of teaching disputes experienced a resurgence in February, with an increase of four points (from 12% to 16% of incidents).
A dynamic which is part of a general increase in reports of attacks on secularism over this period: 280 incidents were recorded in January and 336 in February (+20%).
“We will support the teachers. It is unthinkable that science is not respected in what it tells us
,” said the Minister of National Education on public service radio.
On Wednesday, Gabriel Attal announced in an interview with AFP the future establishment of
“pedagogical support units”
to help teachers facing
“resistance, even challenges”
to their teaching.
Reduction in attacks for wearing religious symbols
On the other hand, after having reached
"a peak"
, according to ministerial terminology, in the first quarter of the 2023-2024 school year - where more than 3,000 incidents were recorded in three months, a record - the total number of reports fell in this start of the year.
They went from 590 in December, to 280 in January and 336 in February.
Finally, since January, explained the former Minister of Justice,
“the number of attacks resulting from the wearing of signs ostensibly demonstrating affiliation with a religion has decreased”
in establishments.
A sign of the effectiveness of the ban on the abaya and qamis at school decided by Gabriel Attal last August?
Wearing signs and outfits represented 13% of total reports in December, 27% in January and 15% in February - compared to 81% in September.