U.K. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NICK CLEGG BACKS TEACHER WHO WANT PUPILS TO REMOVE VEILS IN CLASS
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10304285/Nick-Clegg-backs-teachers-who-want-pupils-to-remove-veils-in-class.html
By Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent
The Deputy Prime Minister said that he can “totally understand” why people say that children should not to be allowed to wear full-face veils during lessons.
Mr Clegg said that teachers “want to be able to make contact” with their pupils.
His comments came after he said that he was “uneasy” about Birmingham Metropolitan College’s decision to ban Muslim students from wearing the niqab, a veil that leaves a slot only for the eyes.
The college has ordered all students, staff and visitors to remove any face coverings so individuals are “easily identifiable at all times”.
The move led to claims that Muslim students were being discriminated against.
Speaking during his weekly Call Clegg programme on LBC radio, the Deputy Prime Minister appeared to disagree with the college’s policy.
However, he said that there are “exceptional circumstances” under which women should be made to remove veils.
“I can totally understand, of course, if you’re passing through security checks at airports, say, of course for those reasons you need to make sure that the security staff can do their job,” Mr Clegg said.
“I can totally understand in the classroom, this is more about full veils – that you want to be able to make contact, certainly eye contact and face contact with your pupils.
“But as a general principle other than those rather exceptional circumstances I’m really quite uneasy about anyone being told what they have to wear.”
In 2007 the Labour government issued new guidance allowing schools will be able to ban pupils from wearing full-face veils on security, safety or learning grounds.
Birmingham Metropolitan College’s policy was disclosed to one prospective Muslim student at the start of the new term last week.
The 17-year-old girl, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s disgusting. It is a personal choice and I find it absolutely shocking that this has been brought in at a college in Birmingham city centre when the city is so multicultural and so many of the students are Muslim.
“It upsets me that we are being discriminated against.
“I don’t think my niqab prevents me from studying or communicating with anyone – I’ve never had any problems in the city before.”
The teenager said she had decided to look for another college place in the city.
Hoodies, hats and caps have also been banned at the college, which was formed in 2009 after the merger of Matthew Boulton and Sutton Colfield colleges.
Mr Clegg added: “Intuitively I would set the bar very high to justify that. One of the things that’s great about our country is that we are diverse, we are tolerant. People do dress differently, people do have different faiths, people do have different convictions and that is reflected in what they wear and how they present themselves.”
Dame Christine Braddock, the college’s principal, said the policy had been in place for some time and had been developed to keep students safe.
She said: “We have a very robust equality, diversity and inclusion policy at Birmingham Metropolitan College but we are committed to ensuring that students are provided with a safe and welcoming learning environment whilst studying with us.
“To ensure that safeguarding is a priority, we have developed our policy alongside student views to ensure we keep them safe.
“This needs individuals to be easily identifiable at all times when they are on college premises and this includes the removal of hoodies, hats, caps and veils so that faces are visible.
“All prospective and progressing students, as well as staff, have been advised of the policy, which will mean everyone allowed on the premises can understand and know each other in a safe environment.”
Last month a judge has halted a court case after a Muslim woman refused to lift her face veil and prove her identity.
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