France to ban abaya dress in schools

STORY: France to ban abaya dress in schools DATELINE: Aug. 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:07 LOCATION: Paris CATEGORY: EDUCATION SHOTLIST: 1. various of Paris 2. SOUNDBITE (French): Paris resident STORYLINE: France has announced to ban schoolchildren from wearing abayas, a traditional long robe that covers the entire body, ahead of the academic year starting from September 4. In an interview with TF1 television on Sunday, Education Minister Gabriel Attal said that the wearing of abayas will no longer be permitted in French schools. He emphasized his intention to establish "clear rules at the national level" for school administrators regarding the contentious issue of wearing this robe. The minister has been facing controversy over the past few months due to incidents related to the wearing of abayas. SOUNDBITE (French): Paris resident "For this topic, from my personal experience, I was forbidden to wear a cross necklace as a child. So if there is legislation within the school to avoid unfairness between studen