Thanks to the MR, the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation is currently holding unprecedented hearings on radicalisation and self-censorship among teachers in FWB schools. “These hearings have broken a taboo. We wanted to hear from those on the ground, to establish the facts objectively, and then propose concrete solutions. We must neither downplay nor exaggerate the issue. But we can no longer ignore a problem that is very real”, explains Diana Nikolic, group leader.
In our schools, more and more teachers are noticing a growing challenge to fundamental values such as equality between women and men, freedom of expression, or the teaching of science, biology and history. Some even go so far as to censor themselves to avoid tensions in their classroom.
For the MR, schools must remain a sanctuary: a place of learning, emancipation and freedom, where there is no room for dogma, whether religious or ideological.
Teachers, researchers, representatives of the FWB administration, cultural figures such as Ismaël Saidi, as well as the author of the book “Allah n’a rien à faire dans ma classe” and the director of OCAM were heard. All agree: the phenomena of radicalisation, self-censorship and the questioning of knowledge do exist.
According to studies and depending on the methodology used, between 6% and 40% of teachers in the FWB have already self-censored. For Diana Nikolic, “even if it were just one, that would already be one too many”. The work will continue after the summer break “following numerous spontaneous requests from teachers wishing to testify.”
While it is too early to draw conclusions, for Diana Nikolic one of the first priorities is to “reaffirm the laws and values that underpin our democratic society: equality between men and women, the fight against all forms of discrimination, including anti-LGBTQI+ discrimination, freedom of expression, and the neutrality of our education system. These take precedence over any dogma, whether religious or ideological.”