Headscarves and other religious symbols will no longer be banned in higher education schools managed by Brussels' French Community Commission (COCOF), a member of the coalition government announced at the weekend.
The ban was also lifted from Francophone adult education and training schemes but will still be enforced in elementary and secondary education in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The rollback of the ban was approved in the majority agreement of the COCOF, informally known as the French-speaking Brussels parliament.
The decision to lift the ban was celebrated as a "step forward" for diversity and inclusion by the co-president of the French-speaking green party Écolo, Zakia Khattabi, who said on Facebook the decision also represented a "personal victory."
The measure represents "setback" for secularity and could set a precedent for other public institutions in the region, a member of the French-speaking MR liberal party said, according to La Dernière Heure.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
