Pap Ndiaye exchanged for an hour with the educational community of the Bois d’Aulne college in Yvelines, marked by the death of the history and geography teacher, noted an AFP journalist.
The new minister, who had paid tribute to Samuel Paty on Friday during the transfer of power with Jean-Michel Blanquer, explained to the press that he had gone there to deliver “a very simple message, which is that of the refusal of barbarism and hatred”.
“But also the message by which basically, the Republic, through school, it is stronger. It is the Republic which wins, in the end, despite everything”. He mentioned “the resilience, the initiatives that are taken, by the teachers, by the educational team, by the students” which show “how deep the Republic plunges into the nation”, stressing that this is “very moving “.
“I wanted to make my first visit after the first Council of Ministers this morning, to this college there, which I did not know, but which I knew in a lot of respect because the memory of Samuel Paty remained in my heart. and in my mind,” he continued.
Pap Ndiaye recalled being a “historian by training”. “I read his book (by Samuel Paty), Research Memory (…) which has been published since his death and I participated in other tributes including at Sciences Po where I was a professor (. ..). It is quite normal and natural that I therefore go here”, he insisted.
The Minister of Education explained that he had “conversed very freely” with the educational community. “I was there to listen to them, we were there to talk about their situation, the difficulties experienced since October 2020, more than school issues stricto sensu, which we will have to look into”.
“I also promised that I would come back to college to talk about these issues. More professional issues. So it’s a goodbye and a see you soon,” he added.
For Laurent Brosse, DVD mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, present in the establishment, “the symbolism (of this visit) is strong for the teachers”, he declared to AFP.
