Denmark: ideological taboos at schools?
According to a study by the Danish Centre for Social Science Research Vive, 28 percent of secondary school teachers and 19 percent of primary school teachers have already tried to avoid dealing with controversial topics in class. This applied above all to topics related to Islam. Commentators are alarmed.
Self-censorship a threat to our freedom
Berlingske warns of the threat this poses to democracy:
“Teachers self-censoring is a major problem - for the teachers themselves, for the students, and also for Danish society as a whole. If teachers avoid subjects for fear of their own safety or conflict in the classroom, then Denmark will become a country less free. We yield to the veto of tyranny, compromise our own values and have the entirely wrong formative influence on the next generation. Nobody should be allowed to turn a blind eye to a trend like this one.”
Don't leave teachers in the lurch
The problem goes far beyond schools, emphasises Jyllands-Posten:
“Free speech is not only a legal right, but a cultural backbone. That is precisely the reason why violent individuals must never have the right to veto what can be discussed in the classroom. ... That requires teachers to be courageous. But even more, it requires support from the system. From head teachers, administrative bodies and politicians. Teachers must know that they're not on their own. They must be better supported. We need schools where violence, threats and silence are banned, where controversial topics are not avoided but used to hone students' democratic skills?”