- A Cnesco study shows that pupils generally stay away from the religious at school.
- The efforts made over the past ten years to address secularism at school (in the classroom or via the Secularism Charter) have borne fruit.
- However, some establishments encounter problems of questioning the teachings for religious reasons.
What if it was one of the great successes of the French school? According to a study by the National Center for the Study of School Systems (Cnesco) published this Wednesday, an overwhelming majority of secondary school students adhere to the fundamental principles of secularism. Thus, more than 90% of them consider it important that students be tolerant of each other, even if they do not have the same beliefs.
“The pupils very massively adhere to this idea of non-discrimination, respect and tolerance of religious opinions. But they don't want religion to interfere with school functioning, ”observes Barbara Fouquet-Chauprade, educational sociologist, lecturer and researcher at the University of Geneva. Because 64% of pupils in 3rd and 62% of those in terminal consider that it is important that the religion of pupils is not visible in the school space.
Great efforts to talk about secularism in school for ten years
“They have a very good knowledge of the ban on the conspicuous wearing of religious symbols within establishments. This shows that the school succeeds in instilling in them the principles of secularism ”, analyzes Barbara Fouquet-Chauprade. No wonder when you know that the subject has taken up more and more space in establishments in recent years. The Laïcité Charter has been posted in establishments since 2013, and moral and civic education (EMC) has been implemented from school to high school from the start of the 2015 school year. “There is a rare continuity in school policies on this subject. Secularism is also approached in history-geography, in philosophy courses. In fact, 80% of high school students and 90% of middle school students feel that they approached it during their studies, ”notes Nathalie Mons, director of Cnesco.
If one leaves the school grounds, the students also mostly adhere to secularism. Thus, more than 80% of them do not support the idea that religious leaders have more power in society. And three quarters are opposed to the idea that the rules prescribed by religion are more important than the laws of the Republic. This observation is similar to that of the 2016 ICCS study on young people aged 13-14 in 24 countries in Europe, Asia and America. He showed that 66% of young French people were again opposed to the fact that religious rules were more important than the laws of the Republic. “French students are somewhat the champions of secularism compared to their Scandinavian, English or Dutch alters egos, because they benefit from a historical tradition of separation of Church and State. And that they are on the front line in the phenomenon of secularization of French society. And the more they progress in schooling, the more they adhere to the idea of state neutrality, ”says Nathalie Mons.
Black hussars, teachers?
But their attachment to secularism has another explanation: that of the influence exerted on them by their teachers. 99% of those interviewed by Cnesco subscribe to the obligations of neutrality of religious symbols. And yet, only 9% of teachers in the college in charge of EMC and 2% of those in high school were trained on secularism between 2015 and 2018.
But this positive picture cannot erase the attacks on secularism that are emerging in certain establishments. The Cnesco study shows that 3% of teachers and 2% of school leaders say that they encounter questions about certain teachings by pupils, because of their religious convictions. And this more in college than in high school. "But these problems remain on the margins and the teaching teams know how to manage them," notes Nathalie Mons.
Attacks concentrated in certain establishments
An observation which joins that of the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer. He announced in September that between April and June 2019, 900 attacks on secularism (contestation of teaching, dispensation from teaching, very often in physical education and sports ...) had been counted in educational establishments, for more 12 million pupils from primary school to high school. Of these, 44% were for middle schools, 37% for primary schools and 19% for high schools.
These difficulties are concentrated in certain establishments, in Rep and in vocational lycées. “In middle school, 44% of Rep students declare that the rules of life prescribed by religion are more important than the laws of the Republic, compared to 22% of middle school students outside priority education. And 28% of pupils in vocational lycée affirm it, against 14% in lycée of general education. Part of the answer lies in the mobilization of educational teams on secularism after the attacks of 2015. It targeted in priority the Rep + (reinforced priority education network) and less the Rep. There has been more sustained educational work on these dimensions. And vocational high schools welcome many pupils from immigrant backgrounds, from disadvantaged backgrounds and with low EMC knowledge ”, notes Nathalie Mons.
Still possible progress
To advance respect for the principles of secularism among these students, Cnesco recommends in particular to boost the in-service training of teachers on the subject (especially those of Rep and vocational high school). "We should also develop diversity in school, so that students are more confronted with different religious opinions," suggests Barbara Fouquet-Chauprade. A recommendation almost impossible to achieve.
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* Study conducted from March 26 to May 18, 2018 with 16,000 middle and high school students, 500 EMC teachers and 350 school heads.
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- Society
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- Education
- High school
- Middle School
- Secularism