Muslim Educator Makes History as First to Lead Catholic School in Flanders

Hamid Riffi, the new director of the Institut Scheppers de Malines, knows the house well. After studying there, he was a teacher and deputy director. But in Flanders, it is the first time that the management of Catholic education has been entrusted to a Muslim. For him, he owes this position to his abilities and not to the fact of being Muslim.

"I was not hired because I am Moroccan or Muslim, at least I hope so. There were several candidates for this position, and I was hired because of my teaching and management skills. That’s what I want to be judged on. But it’s certainly a positive signal to the outside world. That it should be normal, in all sectors, for people from immigration to also occupy higher positions," said Riffi in Het Nieuwsblad.

The new director is very aware of the importance of the task entrusted to him and knows that he must prove himself. "The norms and values that we propagate here in this Catholic school are actually the same values that I learned at home. Respect for others, solidarity: these are human values. I think schools today - certainly in an urban context - should be more sensitive to culture," said Hamid Riffi.

For the new director, his role is to ensure that all students feel safe. He also announces many changes that will give students the desire to come to school. "It’s important, because it’s only when they feel good and safe at school that students start to study."

Before the health period, Hamid Riffi, as deputy director in charge of discipline, personally knew the 850 students at the Institut Scheppers. Today, with his status as general director, he wants to reconnect with this relationship he had with the students. "I want to be a present director. Because I find it interesting to share an educational vision to guide and put it into practice. But above all, I want the students to know me, and I want to know them."