“Let any student banned from accessing French schools based in Senegal, just because she wears a headscarf, come and complain to us and we will see! » The update is from Ousmane Sonko, head of the national list of the Pastef coalition leading the legislative elections and, moreover, Prime Minister of Senegal. It was, perhaps, as head of government that he raised this issue. He was facing his activists in Mbacké during a large meeting held during the night from Sunday to Monday.
Without putting on gloves and in fairly precise vocabulary, Ousmane Sonko will take pleasure in emphasizing his intransigence on this issue. “These schools cannot disrespect us at home and do the same to us.”
He could. “Every student, carrying his or her cross, must be able to attend any school that runs the secular program. Franco-Arab schools and private Catholic schools are part of this type of educational establishment. We learn mathematics, French, English. They don’t teach religion there. Anyone wishing to learn religion just has to go to the daara, the catechisms. Every year, the State allocates 1.700 billion to these secular schools in subsidies because of the public service they offer. This is why they do not have the right to prohibit students from wearing crosses and scarves. “Ousmane Sonko will cite, on several occasions, the Notre-Dame du Liban school” as if to tell the authorities of this school that he has his eye on them.
Senegal
