Summary:

The Left Party's education policy spokesperson criticises that the move will give arbitrary powers to teachers.

http://www.thelocal.se/38452/20120111/

[11 January 2012] - Teachers in Swedish schools can, in certain situations, prohibit students from wearing Islamic veils that reveal only their eyes, the country's school's agency has ruled. 

The ban covers clothing that could hinder interaction between students and teachers or which could pose a specific risk, such as in a laboratory.

However, a general ban on headscarves isn't possible.

Teachers will have the power to decide whether or not to require students remove their headscarves, although schools should attempt to be as accommodating as possible, according to updated guidelines issued by the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skollverket) on Wednesday.

The guidance comes in response to a 2009 case in which two women sued an adult education centre in Spånga north of Stockholm after they were banned from class for wearing niqabs.

In December 2010, Sweden's Equality Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen– DO) ruled that the ban amounted to a violation of Sweden’s anti-discrimination laws, after which the schools agency decided to review previous guidelines regarding the wearing of headscarves in Swedish schools.

Education minister Jan Björklund welcomed the education agency's clarification.

“It gives precisely the sort of room to maneuver that schools need. Teachers can prohibit veils that cover most of the face, if it inhibits contact and interaction in the classroom,” he told the TT news agency.

“Classroom lectures are an interplay between people, and in many situations, such interactions require that you can see each others' faces.”

According to Björklund, there has been uncertainty regarding the wearing of Islamic veils in Swedish schools ever since the ombudsman's 2010 ruling.

“But now you could say that things have been cleared up and that the National Agency for Education has maintained its original position, going against the ombudsman,” said Björklund.

However, the Left Party's education policy spokesperson Rossana Dinamarca criticised the agency's decision. 

“This is a bad ruling, which means that it will be up to each individual teacher to determine if you have the right to an education or not. That's a basic right for everyone, regardless of which religious background you have,” she told TT. 

The updated guidelines are meant primarily for high schools and adult education centres, but can be tailored for use in primary schools when appropriate, although the education agency points out that “it's important to respect compulsory school attendance and the right to an education”.

Further Information: 

• ITALY: Committee approves face veil ban bill (3 August 2011) 
• BELGIUM: Full face veil ban comes into force (27 July 2011)
• EUROPE: Penalising women who wear the burqa does not liberate them (20 July 2011) 
• FRANCE: Unveiling the Truth - Why 32 Women Wear the Full-Face Veil (Open Society Institute, April 2011) 
• SWEDEN: Wrong to ban student with niqab - Ombudsman (1 December 10)
•  UNITED KINGDOM: Schools allowed to ban face veils (20 March 2007)
• CRIN editorial on how veil bans impact on children's rights (CRIN, May 2010)
• More on children's rights in Sweden

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Last updated 13/01/2012 19:17:48

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