The education secretary, Nicky Morgan, has said it is “very much up to schools” if they want to ban the full-face veil, arguing that being able to see a person’s mouth was important for teaching.
Morgan was speaking after the chief schools inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, said inspectors had found that religious dress that covered the face sometimes caused communication problems.
David Cameron had said on Monday that he would back institutions with “sensible rules” over Muslims wearing full-face veils, but he ruled out a full public ban.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, Morgan said: “The prime minister was absolutely right to say, and we have a very clear view in this country, we are not going to tell people what they can and can’t wear; that would cut across the values we are talking about that we want everybody to follow. [1444 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 368 votes] ANOTHER COMMENT SAID: "Just continue stripping people of their freedoms in the name of freedom. Sad"
The "freedom" for a community to segregate itself from the rest of society and essentially create a parallel community though various factors including dress and refusal to speak the host language?
[2ND 222] Symbols of their parents' ideologies should be kept out of schools. Would we accept UKIP t-shirts? No way!
[3RD 217] The full veil has no place in British schools, just as a mini skirt would not be tolerated in Saudi schools. This is not a Muslim country.
[4TH 197] Typical cowardly politician. She should actually lead on this, and say that schools are expected to be full face veil free, and will be failed by Ofsted if they're not.
BTW not one muslim parent I know would have any objection to it either.
Typical cowardly politician. They should also make sex ed compulsory in Primaries up and down the country.
[5TH 194] Nuns don't cover their faces.
[6TH 192] "Going for the French approach of banning an item of clothing, I do not think that’s the way we do things in this country and I do not think that would help."
A mask isn't an item of clothing and face coverings are already banned in Britain. If you are a motorcyclist you have to by law wear a helmet, yet in Banks, Petrol station etc, you are asked to remove it to show your face. Yet Muslim face masks are not worn because of British law only Saudi fashion and they will not be asked to remove them in a Bank of Petrol Station, so do we have one law for all of us? Or different laws for different communities? I think the French have got it right, one Law for ALL. [The Guardian] Read more
