French court overturns decision to close Muslim middle school in Nice
A middle school student wearing a hijab raises her hand during an Islamic ethics class at the Averroes school, France's biggest Muslim educational institution that has lost its state funding on grounds of administrative failures and questionable teaching practises, in Lille, France, March 19, 2024. (Reuters)
In France, a court has overturned the decision to close a private Muslim middle school in the city of Nice.
Sefen Guez Guez, the lawyer for Avicenne Middle School, the only Muslim school in the Alpes-Maritimes region in the south of the country, announced on his X account that the March 15 decision by the Prefecture to close the school at the end of the academic year has been rejected by the court.
The court’s decision also included an order for the Prefecture to pay 1500 euros ($1609.27) in legal costs.
School management denies allegations
In February 2024, the Ministry of Education decided to close Avicenne Middle School citing “unclear financial resources.”
The school administration, in a written statement, had expressed its objection to the decision, denying the allegations.
In March 2024, the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture announced its decision to close the school, which has around 100 students, at the end of the academic year.
