Home-schooling ban in France to combat Islamic extremism

Parents who home-school their children will face up to six months in jail under legislation intended to combat Islamist extremism in France.

A new bill, passed on 18 November, will make it a crime to teach children at home, in an attempt to prevent them from falling under the influence of religious radicals. The move forms part of a wide-ranging crackdown designed to ensure that French secular values prevail over what President Emmanuel Macron argues are Islamist attempts to ‘impose hard-line beliefs on swathes of the country’.

It is reported that more than 50,000 children are currently home-schooled in France. Under the plans, each child will be provided with an ID number to ensure they are continuously attending their classes. Parents who ignore and violate the law could be fined up to £6,709 apart from facing jail time. The law is expected to be discussed by the French cabinet on 9 December.

Macron cited how children from ultraconservative Muslim families are being taken out of school, and how sporting and cultural associations are being used to indoctrinate youth.