Two new private Muslim schools will open in September in Nanterre in the Haut-de-Seine, Le Parisien newspaper reported. Indeed, the French Ministry of Education has granted approval for the implementation of these two private schools offering Arabic courses and optional classes on Islam.
The first school, called Ibn Badis, is housed in the building still under construction which also houses a mosque, at 227 Boulevard Georges Clemenceau. Funded by the association “Orientation”, the school will open eight of the 20 planned classes that can accommodate 150 students of CP and fifth and sixth grades in High school.
On a lower scale, Luqman, the second school, is located at 138 Picasso Pablo Avenue. It will receive around fifty children. The premises are not new because since 2014, the association “Ideal”, sensitive to alternative education, offered courses in Arabic and teaching activities.
No big change though "Students will follow the national education program, supervised by teachers who have completed the course successfully. “We believe in the French training but we believe that, in our neighborhoods, public teachers, although very involved, do not transmit enough ambition for our children, "said an official of the association Ideal.
As optional, 3 hours of Arabic classes per week are scheduled. This teaching will be done before or after the compulsory classes of 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the exception of Wednesday. The registration fee for families amount to 2,000 euros a year.