The Minister reveals the figures for damage to secularism, which are increasing. A phenomenon carried in particular by social networks, he assures.
words collected by, and
A few days before the two years of the death of Samuel Paty, this history professor murdered by an Islamist terrorist after a course on freedom of expression, on October 16, 2020, Le Monde met the Minister of the ‘National Education, Pap Ndiaye. Stressing the importance of this trauma for the educational community, he develops his conception of secularism, his strategy to combat community temptations and to restore the symbolic place of the teacher in society.
We Let us commemorate, on October 16, the two years of the assassination of Samuel Paty. What has become of the symbol?
His assassination by an Islamist terrorist was an immense shock and, two years later, he is still felt. It is an extremely powerful trauma. I who am a story teacher, I still feel it. Samuel Paty embodies the act of teaching, the duty to transmit independently of pressures, including religious. This is why his death was also traumatic, in addition to his horrible circumstances: the assassin attacked school in his very essence. A tribute will be paid to him in every establishment on Friday or Monday. We ask all establishments to do so.
This commemoration comes at a time when damage to secularism are increasing in schools. What are the latest figures compiled by academies?
For September [for the first time, these figures are published monthly], there are 313 facts of damage to the principles of secularism. In the last quarter of the previous year, from April to July, 909 facts had been reassembled, against 635 between December and March. The month of September confirms this increase in the facts of damage to the principle of secularism; 51 % of these facts take place in high schools. Previously, the colleges were the most concerned. The majority of these reports, 54 %, concern the wearing of religious signs and outfits. The September figures confirm what we have observed for a year, namely a rise in reports for questions of holding.
On the other hand, the reports for refusal to participate in a teaching activity or dispute are lower, around 7 % each.
How do you interpret these figures? Are they higher because the lifts are more systematic?
Indeed, we ask that there is no censorship on this subject. But there is indeed a wave of wearing of outfits that can be considered as religious, notably the Abayas, the Qamis and the Bandanas. In recent months, we have learned of a phenomenon of coordination and agitation of part of our youth on social networks. When the teams dialogue with the young people in question, they identify elements of language identical to those found on social networks. We believe that the latter have a strong responsibility, with the advice that certain malicious influencers can give adolescents to thwart the law.
You have 78.9% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.