Back in 2003 the national Education Agency decided that an individual school could ban the face-covering veil (SE) if it prevents the school from fulfilling its duties to the student.
Björklund wants this option in the law, and is open to a school veil ban as well.
Via Earth Times:
The leaders of Swedish schools and universities should be allowed to ban students from wearing clothes that cover their faces, including Islamic veils such as the full-body burqa and the full-face niqab, Education Minister Jan Bjorklund said Wednesday.
"Education is based on an interaction between teacher and students. You have to be able see each others' faces," Bjorklund said. "I think that it is questionable if the school can fulfil its task if a student wears clothing that covers the face, like the burqa and niqab."
Bjorklund said the proposed ban would also apply for other clothing that covers the face, such as balaclava masks.
There are no statistics on how many female students in Sweden wear the burqa or the niqab. Estimates suggest there are at least 100,000 practicing Muslims among Sweden's 9 million inhabitants, but that number is uncertain too as there are no official statistics.
(more)
