A reminder that does not pass. A letter from the National Education Inspectorate in Aisne, insisting on the ban on the Advent calendar, aroused anger within several schools, pushing several elected officials to react to the controversy, reported l Union this Friday.
“I was alerted to the possible presence of Advent calendars in classes,” we can read in the letter from the National Education Inspectorate, cited by the Union. “I remind you that Advent is a religious process: within the framework of the neutrality imposed by secularism, the cardinal value of the Republic, I invite you to remind the teachers of the school that you direct that no student should be confronted with an Advent calendar in the school setting. »
After receiving this message, school directors expressed their dissatisfaction to the senator of Aisne Pierre-Jean Verzelen (Les Indépendants – République et Territoires), who said “they do not understand the reaction of National Education “.
“The Advent calendar has become part of our habits, in society, it even has a very commercial twist. In schools, it is seen as an educational tool,” defends the elected official in the Union, who assures that this calendar “allows work in grammar, mathematics or English and why not also to understand the history of a religion that is part of the general culture.”
“Whether you are a believer or not, the Advent calendar belongs to everyone,” he says.
The president of the Hauts-de-France region, Xavier Bertrand, also expressed his indignation on X, questioning the Minister of National Education Anne Genetet and criticizing an “incomprehensible” intervention. “Doesn’t National Education have other priorities than attacking school Advent calendars and our traditions? “, he wrote.
For their part, the Ministry of National Education and Anne Genetet have not commented on the subject.
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