French Mayor Blocks Arabic Classes in Local Schools, Sparking Controversy

No Arabic lessons in the schools of Marignane. In response to an official request from the Algerian consulate based in Marseille to appoint teachers of literary Arabic in the Marie Curie school and the Chave school, the town hall refuses to make the classrooms available for these lessons, reports France Bleu. "It’s up to the town hall, it’s me who decides and it’s no. We already spend a lot of money on subsidies to associations that fight against illiteracy for audiences who speak Arabic better than French. It seems totally illogical to me to give parallel Arabic language courses in schools. It is not the schools of the Republic to do this but the families," explains Eric Le Dissès.

The mayor also looks askance at the fact that it is the Algerian consulate in Marseille that has appointed the teacher to teach the lessons. "Let’s stop the hypocrisy, in these courses, we take the opportunity to address and teach religion," he comments. A contradiction. What does the International Foreign Language Teaching (EILE) system say? "The EILE is a language teaching, given on the basis of a program. No EILE teacher teaches a religion. Like any teacher, the EILE teacher is required to respect secularism. In no case can he give religious instruction or proselytism."

The mayor’s decision has provoked reactions from some citizens. "Me, for various reasons, I couldn’t learn Arabic when I was young, now with some old uncles in my family, I can no longer communicate, I feel excluded, it’s a shame," says Rafik, a French person of Algerian origin. "Our country is cosmopolitan, it’s a chance, these courses can allow children from immigration to feel that we are interested in them, it can allow them to exchange with the elders who have been settled here for a long time and who have not necessarily learned French well, it can create a link and I only see good in it," comments Francis.