Secularism at School: The Uniform! Rudy Salles has just co-signed a legislative proposal aiming to introduce a uniform attire in schools, colleges, and high schools, in order to combat community-driven demonstrations.
For Rudy Salles: “The school is the cornerstone of the Republic. A true sanctuary of secularism, it must welcome its children regardless of social condition, beliefs, or religious affiliations.”
The initiative by the centrist deputy from Nice deserves better commentary if the uniform (those with graying hair will nostalgically remember the smock of their childhood…) was intended to erase the social differences that clothing habits highlight.
In fact, between young models dressed in high-brand styles and those in a scruffy version, it’s difficult to choose… the worse!
In case of implementation, it would be interesting to know how the two legislators plan to solve the problem of choosing the uniform, which, given the probable diversity of tastes and opinions, might stir interpersonal conflicts among the students, between each other and the educational hierarchy. Not to mention the intrusion of parents who would want to have their say, the unions that will demand a role, and finally, and not least of all, the underlying and competing economic interests.
Poor us, what awaits us!
Of course, we all admire the Anglo-Saxon system and the “school-boys and girls” with their blazer, sweater, and tie for boys and pleated skirts for girls, which identify their school and promote their uniformity. It’s a matter of context and sociology.
There, they associate; here, we compete.
In truth, this proposal, even if not explicitly stated, has nothing educational about it: it is merely a vaguely Islamophobic measure. Nothing more than populist rhetoric, just useful for stoking the fire of a simmering controversy.
In conclusion, it’s a good idea that has donned the uniform… of provocation!
