OSLO, June 21: Norwegian schools will be allowed to ban the wearing of some Islamic veils in class, the directorate concerned ruled on Wednesday, warning however that such bans could be found to be in violation of human rights.
Schools will be permitted to ban headscarves that hide part or all of the face ‘if they pose an obstacle to teaching, communication or the identification of some students’, the education agency said.
Veils that cover only the hair will be permitted. Contrary to France, the ban will not cover all religious symbols and is not based on secularism.
Each local authority will decide whether or not to implement a ban.
The agency pointed out that ‘questions could be raised about the conformity of such a ban with the European Convention on human rights and the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’.
Education Minister Oeystein Djupedal said he was pleased at the decision, which was prompted by a request from the Oslo municipality for the agency to rule on the issue.
“When the entire face is covered, some teachers could have problems identifying a student,” the municipality said when it lodged its request.
“Covering the face is also detrimental from a pedagogical point of view: a teacher must be able to observe a student’s reactions, such as happiness, enthusiasm, irritation, anger or confusion,” it said.
In Norway, the Protestant Lutheran Church is a state religion.—AFP
