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\nThe murder of the schoolteacher Samuel Paty, beheaded by 18-year-old Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov in October 2020 after Paty had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a civic education lesson, has understandably caused shock and fear among teachers in France.<\/p>\n
Many teachers were already struggling to manage classroom discussions on sensitive topics such as the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo\u2019s publication of the controversial caricatures. Some now\u00a0fear for their personal safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n My PhD research explores the impact of Islamist terrorism on education policy and practice in England and France. As I come to the end of my study, these events give rise to an unwelcome sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/p>\n My interest in the topic began with the terrorist attacks on the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January 2015 after it published the caricatures. The interviews I have carried out over the past three years show that these cartoons continue to cause upset and anger among some Muslim students. This leads to challenging classroom moments for teachers.<\/p>\n In the first week of school following the murder of Paty,\u00a0some 400 students<\/a>\u00a0across France were reported to the ministry of education for refusing to take part in the minute\u2019s silence in his honour.<\/p>\n Since Paty\u2019s murder, there has been much talk about France\u2019s \u201ccolour-blind\u201d approach to cultural diversity, which emphasises that the same rights apply to all citizens. This is often considered to be in opposition to the\u00a0multiculturalism<\/a>\u00a0of countries such as the UK, which gives greater space to minority cultures and religions.<\/p>\n French president Emmanuel Macron\u00a0has responded<\/a>\u00a0to international criticism of his government\u2019s response to the attacks by insisting on the singularity of the French approach, and the inability of Anglo-Saxon commentators to understand it.<\/p>\n However, this overlooks the\u00a0striking similarities<\/a>\u00a0in the way the English and French governments have used the education system as a tool to promote social cohesion and build young people\u2019s resilience to radicalisation.<\/p>\n Governments in both countries have sought to emphasise shared values in the education system. Since 2014, schools in England have been required\u00a0to promote<\/a>\u00a0the \u201cfundamental British values<\/a>\u201d of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths.<\/p>\n In French schools, there has been a renewed focus on promoting the Republican values of libert\u00e9, \u00e9galit\u00e9, fraternit\u00e9 and the secular value of\u00a0la\u00efcit\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which limits the expression of religious beliefs in public institutions such as schools \u2013\u00a0since the January 2015 attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other policies in both countries target students who may be at risk of radicalisation. Teachers are expected to report concerns about radicalisation to the school leadership or outside agencies. Education professionals are also being trained in spotting the signs of radicalisation, although this approach is more widely employed\u00a0in the UK<\/a>\u00a0than it is in France.<\/p>\n The issues raised by atrocities such as the murder of Paty also have implications for how teachers operate in the classroom in England and France.<\/p>\n In the case of France, the attacks on Charlie Hebdo highlighted the difficulties that some teachers already faced in managing discussions around issues such as la\u00efcit\u00e9 and freedom of speech.<\/p>\n In England, the need to engage students in discussions on contemporary issues as part of the fundamental British values policy \u2013 and to help them make sense of ongoing terrorist attacks \u2013 has revealed some of the same problems.<\/p>\n Teachers, school leaders and policy officials in both countries frequently state that some teachers lack in-depth knowledge of the issues they are increasingly called on to address in class. What\u2019s more, many are afraid of being unable to manage the emotive student responses that sensitive subjects sometimes generate, and, ultimately, of losing control of the situation.<\/p>\n This was a particular concern for some respondents in France, who felt that a tradition of teacher-centred learning \u2013 involving lots of teacher talk and little time for discussion \u2013 meant that some of their colleagues were particularly nervous about managing classroom debates.<\/p>\n RT @EducateAgainst<\/a>: What are fundamental British values? Ofsted Regional Director explains. pic.twitter.com\/WUu4JNvHht<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ofsted (@Ofstednews) November 2, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nControversy and criticism<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Fundamental values<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Difficult discussions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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