Press Interpreter

02/08/06 –- Are the cartoon-rows the subject of discussion in schools? Antwerp public schools do not find discussions opportune at this time. Teachers have to be strong didactically.

The Mohammed-cartoons do create noise in Flemish schools, or at least in the Antwerp secondary public schools. It makes sense that the newsworthiness of the cartoons does create an opportunity for teachers to set up discussions about freedom of speech and religion, and the borders of these freedoms.

Nevertheless, last Monday the public school teachers of Antwerp were clearly notified that “no discussion about cartoons should happen during classes.� What is going on?

“Friday afternoon, I received a telephone call from the Antwerp integration service. They mentioned that there were tensions in some schools following the cartoon articles�, says Luc Tesseur, managing director of the Antwerp public schools. “At that time, it was not very clear to me how severe these tensions were and in which schools. However, a quarter of an hour later, I did indeed receive the message that the Muslim executive had taken an extreme point of view. Although I could not predict how big the rows would get, I did decide, together with the two directors of secondary education, to advise our schools that there had better not be talk about the cartoons during classes. At least not as long as the situation remains heated.�

Advice or talking prohibition? Because that is how most teachers understood the message. “Schools and teachers do still have their pedagogical freedom�, emphasises Tesseur. “If they really want to, of course they can talk about it. Only, we do advise waiting fourteen days with this.�

Tesseur admits that this kind of advisory is exceptional. “It does happen that we do advise individual schools during a conflict between foreign pupils and teachers, but this subject seemed so sensitive to us that we issued the advisory to all fifteen schools. This subject can be abused by all parties and give cause for provocation.�

The advisory is only valid for public schools. There was no debate with the private network or with state education. So, do discussions happen about the cartoons and the rows at the Royal Athenaeum of Antwerp, a representative multinational school with 500 students from 50 nationalities?

“Talks do indeed happen�, says director Karin Heremans. “But I do not think you should always discuss every subject. You may not force this and this subject could indeed lead to provocations.�

Heremans does also admit that it is not in all Antwerp schools evenly common to hold this kind of discussion. “Luckily, the athenaeum has a long tradition of dialogue. At regular times, we sit together to talk about delicate themes such as the relation between men and women, and religion and science. As such, our students do receive a certain education. And our teachers do follow courses to facilitate discussions. It is important not to let these sensitive discussions escalate.�

Even then, it remains a case of walking a thin line. “This school year, the students went to watch the play ‘The Cordoba Cook’ (De Kok van Cordoba). In this play, actors are shown in boxer shorts, and circumcision is symbolically depicted with an asparagus. Initially, this had resulted in many students wrongly interpreting artistic freedom. So, we invited the author and the stage manager to school. Both parties could then explain and defend their point of view.

[Full article]

By Dominique Minten

--Translated by Serge Claes

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