Should we ban Advent calendars at college to respect secularism? | EUROtoday

Polemic as Christmas approaches. Schools situated in Aisne have been referred to as to order by the National Education Inspectorate over using the Advent calendar at school, which might be opposite to secularism. “I was alerted to the possible presence of Advent calendars in classes,” we will learn on this letter dated mid-November and cited by The Union. “I remind you that Advent is a non secular course of: inside the framework of the neutrality imposed by secularism, the cardinal worth of the Republic, I invite you to remind the academics of the college that you just direct that no scholar ought to be confronted with an Advent calendar within the faculty setting. »

The heads of institutions, recipients of this letter, expressed their dissatisfaction to the senator of Aisne Pierre-Jean Verzelen, who wrote to Minister Anne Genetet, saying “they do not understand the reaction of National Education [car] this calls into question the freedom of teaching of school teachers.” This was additionally questioned by the president of the Hauts-de-France area, Xavier Bertrand, who deplores an “incomprehensible” resolution on X.

An remoted initiative, in response to Anne Genetet

Anne Genetet assures that it’s a private and remoted initiative of an inspector. According to an SMS despatched to Xavier Bertrand, and consulted by France Info, this request for a “ban” comes from “an individual initiative”. According to the identical supply, the rector of the Amiens academy additionally despatched a letter to Anne Genetet, during which he specifies that this e-mail “written by an inspector” is “marred by errors both on the educational level and on those of history and law.

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Answer

To reinforce her feedback despatched to Xavier Bertrand and put an finish to the controversy, the Minister of National Education additionally recalled, in a letter despatched this Monday, that Advent calendars at college are “fully compatible with the principles of secularism”. It is a “societal and educational” object linked to Christmas which, definitely “comes from the liturgical calendar”, however which right this moment represents a “largely secularized” celebration whereas “Christmas is recognized as a legal holiday and public holiday, registered in the Labor Code.

According to the minister, Advent calendars are useful for “teaching students the structuring of time and the management of waiting, particularly in cycles 1 and 2”.