Controversy over the inclusion of Arabic in French school curriculum

Paris: The French Education Minister, Jean Michael Blanquer, has recommended inclusion of Arabic in the French School curriculum, a decision that has evoked severe reactions. Robert Menard, the Mayor of Beziers in France heavily criticized saying that such a provision can lead to the birth of a new country within France. The right-wing leaders in France have also reprimanded Blanker threatening that a series of dire consequences would be initiated in France if the recommendation was implemented. Along with France, there are similar discussions in Germany as well.

‘The French students should be trained in Arabic from the very primary level. Just as Russian and Chinese, Arabic also is an important language and France should not ignore it,’ demanded the French Education Minister, Jean Michael Blanquer. A study group in France has propounded a theory that if children are taught Arabic from the primary level, the influence of the extremists will be reduced. Those who attend religious schools and learn Arabic are more likely to be inclined towards extremism. The study group has proposed that Arabic should be taught at the primary level to avoid this. Education Minister Blanquer made this recommendation based on this report.

The proposal has drawn vitriolic reactions. Robert Menard, the Mayor of Beziers in France criticised, “To develop the teaching of Arabic in school and to ‘give prestige’ is to legitimize the birth of another nation within France”. In a normal country, immigrants are asked to integrate, especially by learning the national language. In our country, the Minister of Education wants French children to learn Arabic, retorted the right-wing leader Antoine Baudino, whereas Christian Democratic Party Chief Jean-Frederic Poisson criticised this proposal terming it as a “bad joke”. Poisson has reprimanded the French government saying, “Faced with the level of French declining from our students, this preposterous idea demonstrates that the government has a very disturbing sense of priorities!”. The proposal is also facing allround criticism on the social media. Some people have said that education in Arabic marks the end for the westerners. There is criticism on the social media that France has become a slave to the foreigners and such a proposal bears evidence to it.

While this dispute is raging in France, there is a different conflict in Germany. Secretary of the German department for interior Markus Kerber has demanded, ‘We want German Islam. Since a long time, the Muslims in Germany have been receiving instructions about Islamic practice from other nations. This needs to stop. Instead we should encourage discussions among the Islamic people in Germany to determine their own religious identity,’ claimed Markus Kerber while presenting his viewpoint. A country like Turkey will certainly be disturbed by this and a different kind of conflict might emerge from it, but we should be prepared to face that, said Kerber.