Najat Vallaud-Belkacem

“Is it written that equality between men and women means one can change sex? Obviously not.”

“When I started out, it was rare to see elected representatives with foreign roots. Often, I was relegated to my origins, put in the diversity box: 'You're the new face of diversity.' That annoyed me because I always felt French, and suddenly I was being made to feel I wan't as French as others.”

“Do we have to give Mr Sarkozy a history lesson? Yes, there are Gauls among our ancestors. But there are also Romans, Normans, Celts, Nicois, Corsicans, Arabs, Italians, Spanish. That's France.”

“Equality in education is my number one battle.”

“As long as there is no proselytism... we must facilitate the partnership between parents and schools.”

“I was very shy and reserved, so it was a bit contradictory to get into politics.”

“Some Muslim students experience secularism as an act of aggression.”

“It was the students who entered kindergarten in 2011 who are - and I am weighing my words carefully - the sacrificed generation. It is they who have paid a high price for the politics of yesterday - that is to say, the government of Mr. Fillon.”

“We have several million Muslims in France who are mostly moderates or non-practicing. If they feel that it is the only subject in public debate, they won't feel at home and will be tempted to withdraw to their communities.”

“People can't even imagine that it's possible to succeed anymore.”

“We know that if religion is allowed into schools, pupils will sometimes begin to question the teaching they receive.”

“I'm like all parents who try to shelter their children.”

“On certain, delicate subjects, bringing in outsiders to talk about values is pertinent because pupils listen to them more attentively.”

“Teachers alone can't educate young people.”

“My dream of society is a society where women are free and proud of their bodies.”

“The proliferation of bans fuels stereotypes and discriminates against a community.”

“It's important to understand that one gender is not superior to the other.”

“The education ministry files suit every time there is a case of identity fraud.”

“School is at once a place of hope, but it's also a laboratory that exposes our differences.”

“Preventing children from going to school, and preventing teachers from doing their jobs, seems to be not just undemocratic but intolerable.”